NBO Film Festival

Overview

The NBO Film Festival is Kenya's leading film festival. Founded in 2017 by filmmaker Mbithi Masya and creative director Sheba Hirst, the festival is a non-profit organization devoted to celebrating African and African diaspora cultures through film, industry engagement, and cultural exchange. The 6th edition ran October 16 to 26, 2025, screening over 26 films from 15-plus countries across Nairobi.

NBO Film Festival nurtures a vibrant film culture in Kenya by showcasing local and international cinema, supporting professional development, and connecting storytellers to audiences worldwide. In its first three editions, the festival hosted world premieres of major Kenyan films including Lusala (which went on to its international premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam) and Supa Modo (which won 44 international awards and became Kenya's 2019 Foreign Language Oscar submission, achieving the longest cinema run of any Kenyan film since Nairobi Half Life).

The festival has been featured in the screen edition of Cannes Magazine as one of the festivals to watch globally. The International Film Festival Rotterdam reached out to the NBO team to serve as content scouts for African films, and the team has been invited to the Durban Film Market to establish links with potential partners and collaborators across the continent.

Audience attendance grew from 502 in the first edition (2017) to 2,155 in 2018, and to 3,468 in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted operations. The festival returned to full in-person programming and has since grown its footprint across multiple Nairobi venues.

Key Sections

• International Competition - features and shorts competing for jury prizes
• Kenyan Film Program - new Kenyan features and shorts, often including world premieres
• East African Panorama - films from Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and neighboring nations
• Shorts, Shorts and Shots - dedicated short film program highlighting African stories from filmmakers across the continent and diaspora
• Documentary Program - nonfiction features, with a focus on Kenyan and African documentary filmmaking
• Vanguard Award - annual award recognizing individual trailblazers who have made exceptional contributions to the African film and television industry through leadership, innovation, and dedication
• Industry Engagement - workshops, masterclasses, Q&A sessions, and professional networking events

Submission Details

Submissions are made through the NBO Film Festival website. The festival introduced a submission fee system in 2025 to support sustainability.

2026 submission fees and deadlines:

• Call for entries opens: March 9, 2026
• Early deadline: March 31, 2026 - Feature Film: $10 / Shorts: $5
• Regular deadline: May 31, 2026 - Feature Film: $20 / Shorts: $10
• Late deadline: July 15, 2026 - Feature Film: $25 / Shorts: $10
• Notification date: September 1, 2026 (for October 2026 festival)

Eligibility requirements:

• Films must have been completed within 18 months of the festival dates
• Films must not have had commercial distribution in Kenya before the festival
• Submission requires: a completed online submission form, a secure online screener (password-protected Vimeo link or similar), at least 3 high-resolution film stills, director's biography and filmography, a director's statement (maximum 500 words), a complete cast and crew list, and a dialogue list with timecodes for non-English language films
• Payment of the submission fee is required
• If a film does not meet eligibility requirements, the submission fee is non-refundable

Contact for submissions:

• Email: submissions@nbofilmfest.com
• Website: nbofilmfest.com

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Kenyan filmmakers: NBO is the primary domestic platform for Kenyan cinema. The festival has a track record of launching Kenyan films onto the international circuit: Lusala went from NBO to IFFR, and Supa Modo went from NBO to 44 international awards and an Oscar submission. If you have a Kenyan feature or short, this is your first-choice festival for domestic premiere. The restriction on prior commercial distribution in Kenya means you should submit before arranging any Kenyan theatrical or streaming release.

For African filmmakers: The festival actively seeks African stories that explore "textured, layered, ardent expressions of African identities." The Shorts, Shorts and Shots program is specifically designed for African filmmakers across the continent and diaspora. The 2025 edition showcased over 26 films from 15-plus countries, including world premieres, African debuts, and celebrated international titles.

For international filmmakers: NBO accepts international submissions, but the programming priority is African and African diaspora cinema. International films with African themes, co-production connections, or relevance to East African audiences are more likely to be selected. The festival is not a market; it is a cultural and industry engagement platform.

Practical considerations: Nairobi is East Africa's largest city and a major tech and startup hub (known as "Silicon Savannah"). Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) is the region's primary aviation hub with direct flights from London, Amsterdam, Paris, Istanbul, Dubai, Doha, and Addis Ababa. English and Swahili are both official languages. The festival uses multiple venues across Nairobi, so budget for transport between locations. Accommodation ranges from $40 budget hotels to $200-plus international properties. Nairobi's altitude (1,795 meters / 5,889 feet) means temperatures are moderate year-round.

Major Awards

• Best Film - jury prize for the top film in competition
• Best Kenyan Film - jury prize for the top Kenyan production
• Best East African Film - jury prize for films from the East African region
• Audience Award - selected by festival audience vote
• NBO Film Festival Vanguard Award - recognizes individual trailblazers who have elevated film production standards and accelerated industry growth through exceptional contributions to the African film and television industry. The inaugural award (2024) was presented to Stephen O. Obunde.

Festival History

The NBO Film Festival was founded in 2017 by Mbithi Masya, a graphic designer turned filmmaker whose debut feature Kati Kati premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and won the Discovery Award. After Kati Kati screened at festivals worldwide, Masya noted that none of the festivals were in his hometown of Nairobi. He discussed this with creative director Sheba Hirst, and together they created the NBO Film Festival.

The first edition was held in the first half of 2017 at Prestige Plaza Shopping Mall, opening with the Kenyan premiere of Kati Kati. The audience of 502 included filmmakers, directors, actors, and scriptwriters. The second edition (March 27 to April 1, 2018) expanded to include films from across the continent. Three sold-out screenings were all Kenyan: Supa Modo (dir. Likarion Wainaina), Disconnect (dir. Tosh Gitonga), and New Moon (dir. Philipa Ndisi-Herrman). The third edition (2019) featured Lusala (dir. Mugambi Nthiga), which sold out and continued screening after the festival ended due to demand.

The festival was featured in Cannes Magazine as a festival to watch. The Rotterdam Film Festival invited the NBO team to serve as African content scouts, and the team was invited to the Durban Film Market to establish continental partnerships.

The 5th edition (October 17 to 27, 2024) opened with the national premiere of I Am Laikipia, produced by Toni Kamau and directed by Pete Murimi and Daphne Matziaraki, followed by a live Q&A. The 5th edition launched the Vanguard Award, with the inaugural recipient being Stephen O. Obunde.

The 6th edition (October 16 to 26, 2025) showcased over 26 films from 15-plus countries, featuring world premieres, African debuts, and celebrated international titles across multiple Nairobi venues.

See Also

Use the Festival ROI Calculator to model the total cost of submitting to and attending NBO Film Festival, including submission fees, travel to Nairobi, and accommodation. Use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator to assess your likelihood of selection based on film type, runtime, and premiere status. For broader festival strategy, read Film Festival Strategy. For East African cinema context, see International Film Markets. For ZIFF Zanzibar, see Zanzibar International Film Festival.