Wildscreen Festival KENYA Full Programme Announced

Wildscreen has today revealed the full programme for its highly anticipated Wildscreen Festival Kenya, taking place in Nairobi, from the 11-12th June 2026. This two-day celebration of natural world storytelling will feature two exclusive screenings, an industry pitch competition, and a packed line-up of speakers representing some of the most exciting voices in wildlife filmmaking today from across Africa and internationally.  

This year’s festival is kindly supported by Headline Sponsor Wildstar Foundation, with Major Sponsor University of the West of England Bristol, alongside sponsors BBC Studios NHU, The Wilderness Project and The Fable Fund. Building on the three previous Wildscreen Festivals in Africa (Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana), the 2026 festival returns to Nairobi with an expanded programme designed to connect and inspire the natural world storytelling community across Africa and beyond.  

Full Programme Now Live  

The full programme will include two packed days of panel discussions, lightning talks, and screenings, spotlighting both African and international talent, as well as networking and mentorship opportunities.   

Confirmed speakers include:  

Peter Venn (UWE), Lynn Barlow (UWE), Thige Njuguna (Roamin Collective), Alice Owen (BBC Studios NHU), Sreya Biswas (BBC Studios NHU), James  Hendry (WildEarth), Edger Msyani (Ngoteya Wild), Job Githaka (AMP Studios), Faith Musembi (Producer Director), Wangeci Murage (Media Pros Africa), Mark Linfield (Wildstar Films), Nashipa Orumoy (African Wildlife Foundation), Kiki Cheptoo Ng’ok (WildWomen WildEarth), Wickliffe Odera (Specialist Filming Driver), Vanessa Linfield (Wildstar Films), Sam Soko (LBx Africa), Denis Mollel (Wildlife Films-Africa), Chloe Sarosh (Wildstar Films), Hans Ngoteya (Ngoteya Wild), Sarah Mallia (Pungulu Pa Productions), and Loise Makato (Royal Media Services). 

Session topics include:  

Beyond Borders: The Power of Collaboration; Sharing the Knowledge for the Next Generation; What the finance! How to fund films and content in an evolving landscape; Into the Wild: Live Wildlife Streaming; Crafting a Natural History Story; Kids Wildlife TV; Filmmaking with Impact; AI in Filmmaking: Breaking or Building Barriers?; Symphony of Sound: a sound design workshop; and Demystifying Distribution: Connecting stories, screens and audiences. 

The festival will be hosted by Pauline Kyalo, wildlife filmmaker and environmental scientist, and Imara Njeri, wildlife photographer, filmmaker and presenter on WildEarth Live. 

Exclusive Screenings  

Audiences will be treated to two exciting screenings, both filmed in Kenya’s incredible landscapes.  

On Thursday 11th June, there will be a screening of National Geographic’s ‘Cheetah’s Up Close with Bertie Gregory’, sponsored by Wildstar Foundation. Filmed in the Serengeti National Park, the series follows Bertie and the team as they film one of the planet’s fastest predators at the epicentre of the Great Wildebeest Migration. Using a truck-mounted gyro-stabilised camera and drones, the team keep pace with their high-speed chases, and alongside scientists, reveal how community collaboration may help secure a future for cheetahs in this iconic ecosystem. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the production team including Executive Producers Vanessa Linfield and Mark Linfield from Wildstar Films, Wildlife Guide Denis Mollel and Sound Recordist Douglas Issai. 

On Friday 12th June, we’ll close the Festival with an exclusive preview screening of National Geographic’s ‘LION’. Four years in the making and filmed in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, the new landmark series follows a single pride on an epic journey. The preview will be followed by a Q&A with the Kenyan production team including Producer/Director Faith Musembi – the first Kenyan Producer/Director of a BBC Studios Natural History Production, Researcher Alice Owen, Specialist Filming Driver Wickliffe Odera and Drone Cinematographer Anthony Njuguna. The series which will stream later in the year on Disney+ is Executive Produced by Jon Favreau and Mike Gunton and is a BBC Studios Natural History Unit production for National Geographic. 

WildPitch  

The festival will host WildPitch, a live pitching competition showcasing six emerging African storytellers competing for funding, mentorship, and industry exposure. The event is designed to unlock opportunities and forge connections between filmmakers and decision-makers. The successful pitchees will present to a panel of judges at the festival, featuring industry professionals, and will have the chance to win a share of a $5,000 prize pot. WildPitch is kindly sponsored by The Wilderness Project.  

Wildscreen Festival Kenya will welcome delegates from leading broadcasters and production companies including: BBC Studios Natural History Unit, Wildstar Films, National Geographic, Royal Media Services, AMP Studios, Ngoteya Wild and WildEarth, making the event a must-attend for filmmakers, producers, and commissioners across the continent and beyond.  

This year’s event underscores the importance of Kenya’s contribution to global natural history filmmaking – not only through its breathtaking biodiversity and storytelling legacy, but also via its growing production sector. 

And last but not least, we’re so excited to announce that the Festival will be livestreamed this year, so anyone across the world can virtually attend live, or watch back in their own time! Online Passes are now available for £40 and £20 with concessions.  

Tickets for the Festival are available here!