FilmAid Kenya uses the transformative power of film and media to address critical social challenges.
Established in 2001, their parent organization FilmAid International originally aimed to provide life-saving information to refugees and displaced populations, particularly in conflict and crisis zones.
Through film screenings, media training, and participatory storytelling, FilmAid disseminates essential information, creates platforms for marginalized voices, and empowers communities to take control of their own narratives. This holistic approach fosters engagement, resilience, and hope in some of the most challenging environments in the world, in Kenya’s case, in the refugee camps at Dadaab and Kakuma..
FilmAid Kenya hosts mobile film screenings in refugee camps and underserved communities. These screenings often focus on public health campaigns. They also serve an important role in mental health, providing entertainment and a rare escape from the struggles of everyday life in refugee settings.
One of FilmAid Kenya’s standout programs is its media training initiative, which equips young people in refugee camps and local communities with practical skills in film production, journalism, photography, and multimedia storytelling. These workshops empower participants by teaching them how to create films, news stories, and documentaries that reflect their own experiences and the challenges they face.
FilmAid Kenya Film Festival: A Platform for Empowerment and Expression
FilmAid’s media training initiatives have evolved into an annual film festival: The festival was created to provide a space where refugee filmmakers and storytellers could showcase their work, focusing on issues that matter to them. The FilmAid Kenya Film Festival has become a unique initiative that combines the power of film and storytelling to give marginalized communities a platform to share their narratives with the world. The festival is part of FilmAid Kenya’s broader mission to empower vulnerable populations by using film as a tool for social change and advocacy.
For over a decade, FilmAid has celebrated the creative self-expression and ambitious determination of young filmmakers demanding to tell their own stories and represent their own communities.
The festival highlights the stories, struggles, and triumphs of those refugee communities. It has grown into a celebration of resilience, creativity, and the transformative power of visual storytelling. Through this festival, FilmAid amplifies the voices of underrepresented groups, bringing their experiences to a broader audience.
The festival has now screened it’s selection of films in Daddab and Kakuma at their “Under the Sun” outdoor cinemas, Now the films are coming to Nairobi to showcase these young and emerging filmmakers in a grand finale, including thought provoking panel discussions on themes such as “Exploring the Creative Community” guided by journalist John Allan Namu.
The Film Aid Kenya Film Festival finale is open to the public and takes place at FAWE House, Chania Avenue from 6 – 9pm, 24 September.