Sinema Focus

“Tell me about a complicated man. Muse, tell me how he wandered and was lost when he had wrecked the holy town of Troy.” When it was announced that Lupita Nyong’o would be the latest actor to play Helen of Troy – the woman whose abduction supposedly launched a decade-long war – Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, and many of his followers responded in disbelief. Their objections could be distilled into a single question: who would ever go to war for her?

Transitions in organisations often come with uncertainty, especially in volatile industries such as the African creative industry where institutions rarely outlive their founders, let alone hand over the reins by design rather than crisis. Docubox, the East African Documentary Film Fund, marked a milestone in January 2026 when its founding leadership team stepped down after an 18-month transition period, passing the mantle to a new generation.

Nation Media Group (NMG) has lost its bid to stop the enforcement of a KSh320 million award to Al Is On Production (AIOP), the company behind Kenya’s 2011 popular soap opera Mali, after the High Court dismissed its application to set aside the award arising from an 11-year dispute over advertising revenue.

Tides, a new Kenyan music romance drama feature written and directed by Reuben Odanga (Mo-Faya, Nafsi), will premiere at Century Cinemax on 8 August. Set at the Kenyan coast, Tides follows Salma and Biko, a musician couple pushed to their limits as dwindling gig opportunities collide with mounting financial pressure brought on by their daughter’s serious medical condition. As survival becomes increasingly uncertain, the choices they make threaten to change their relationship forever.

South African telenovela The Four of Us has secured a streaming home after being acquired by Netflix ahead of its e.tv premiere on Monday, 29 June. Produced by Tshedza Pictures in its first collaboration with e.tv, The Four of Us will air weekly from Monday to Friday on e.tv before landing on Netflix every Tuesday. Stay ahead of Kenya & East Africa’s film and TV.

South African telenovela The Four of Us has secured a streaming home after being acquired by Netflix ahead of its e.tv premiere on Monday, 29 June. Produced by Tshedza Pictures in its first collaboration with e.tv, The Four of Us will air weekly from Monday to Friday on e.tv before landing on Netflix every Tuesday. Stay ahead of Kenya & East Africa’s film and TV.

The Boy Who Runs, a biopic based on the life of Ugandan middle-distance runner Julius Achon, is currently in the works, with Nigerian filmmaker C.J. Obasi (Mami Wata) set to produce, direct and co-write. First reported by Deadline, the film is based on the book The Boy Who Runs: The Odyssey of Julius Achon by John Brant.

FAME Week Africa, the Cape Town-based creative industry platform, has launched Africa’s Leading Women in Entertainment, a new annual initiative recognising and celebrating women driving Africa’s entertainment and creative industries forward through leadership, innovation, creativity and influence.

Kenyan documentary filmmaker Peter Murimi is among the 529 artists and executives invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the 2026 class. According to the Academy, the invitees include 95 Oscar nominees, among them 21 winners, as well as three recipients of the Scientific and Technical Awards. The 2026 class is also 42% women, 56% from underrepresented communities, and 53% from 60 countries and territories outside the United States.

Anam’s Wake, the new Kenyan psychological thriller written and directed by Likarion Wainaina, is set to premiere on 31 July 2026 at Prestige Cinema. Set against the backdrop of African mourning rituals and traditions, the film explores grief, memory and the lingering consequences of unresolved loss through the story of Anam, a professional mourner trained to summon death and negotiate the passage of souls. Stay ahead of Kenya & East Africa’s film and TV.