15th Edition · 2025 · Submissions Open

Kalasha
International
Film & TV Awards

Kenya's national screen awards celebrating excellence across film, television, documentary, animation, and digital content. The most important night in Kenya's screen calendar — now in its 15th year.

Submit Your Work → 2025 Nominees Ceremony & Tickets
Ceremony
Countdown
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2 May 2025 KICC, Nairobi
About the Awards

Kenya's most prestigious screen recognition — for 15 years.

The Kalasha International Film & TV Awards were established by Kenya Film Commission in 2010 to recognise and celebrate excellence in Kenya's screen industry. Named after the traditional Kenyan water vessel — a symbol of sharing, community, and cultural life — the Kalasha Awards have grown into East Africa's most significant screen industry event.

The awards span 22 competitive categories covering film, television, documentary, animation, screenwriting, and technical excellence. Judged by an independent panel of screen industry professionals, the Kalasha statuette has become one of the most recognised symbols of quality in Kenyan and East African screen production.

15
Editions of the Kalasha Awards since founding in 2010
22
Competitive award categories across all screen formats
340
Submissions received for 2025 edition — record high
800+
Industry professionals attending the annual ceremony
The Kalasha Statuette

The Kalasha trophy — a hand-crafted ceramic vessel in the form of the traditional Kenyan kalasha, gilded and mounted — is presented to winners in each category. Each statuette is individually crafted by Kenyan artisans.

2025 Key Dates
Submissions Open Now Open
Submissions Close 15 March 2025
Nominees Announced 1 April 2025
Kalasha Ceremony 2 May 2025
Award Categories

22 Categories.
Every dimension of Kenya's screen industry.

From feature film to animation, from sound design to breakthrough talent — the Kalasha covers the full breadth of screen excellence.

01
Best Feature Film
Open to Kenyan feature films of 60 minutes or longer released or completed in the eligible year.
🏆 Grand Kalasha
02
Best Director — Feature Film
Awarded to the director of a feature film demonstrating exceptional creative vision and execution.
🏆 Kalasha Award
03
Best Actress
Outstanding female performance in a leading role in a Kenyan feature film.
🏆 Kalasha Award
04
Best Actor
Outstanding male performance in a leading role in a Kenyan feature film.
🏆 Kalasha Award
05
Best Short Film
Open to Kenyan short films under 30 minutes completed in the eligible year. Includes student films.
🏆 Kalasha Award
06
Best Screenplay
Awarded to the writer(s) of the best original or adapted screenplay for a Kenyan feature film.
🏆 Kalasha Award
07
Best TV Drama Series
Outstanding Kenyan drama series of 4 or more episodes broadcast or streamed in the eligible period.
🏆 Kalasha Award
08
Best TV Comedy / Sitcom
Outstanding Kenyan comedy series demonstrating consistent wit, character, and comic craft.
🏆 Kalasha Award
09
Best TV Actress
Outstanding female performance in a leading role in a Kenyan TV series or drama.
🏆 Kalasha Award
10
Best TV Actor
Outstanding male performance in a leading role in a Kenyan TV series or drama.
🏆 Kalasha Award
11
Best Documentary Feature
Outstanding Kenyan documentary of 40 minutes or longer completed in the eligible year.
🏆 Grand Kalasha Documentary
12
Best Documentary Short
Outstanding short documentary of under 40 minutes. Open to emerging documentary filmmakers.
🏆 Kalasha Award
13
Best Documentary Series
Outstanding factual or documentary series of 3 or more episodes broadcast or released in the eligible period.
🏆 Kalasha Award
14
Best Animation
Outstanding Kenyan animation project — any format or length. 2D, 3D, stop-motion, or mixed-media.
🏆 Kalasha Award
15
Best Digital / Online Series
Outstanding Kenyan content created specifically for online or streaming platforms.
🏆 Kalasha Award
16
Best Student Film
Outstanding film made by a current or recently graduated Kenyan film or media student. Any format.
🏆 Emerging Talent Award
17
Breakthrough Talent Award
Recognising an exceptional new voice in Kenya's screen industry — first or second major production.
🌟 Special Kalasha
18
Best Cinematography
Outstanding visual craft — lighting, composition, and camera work across any Kenyan screen production.
🏆 Craft Kalasha
19
Best Editing
Outstanding picture editing — pacing, structure, and narrative construction in any Kenyan production.
🏆 Craft Kalasha
20
Best Original Score / Music
Outstanding original music composition created for a Kenyan screen production.
🏆 Craft Kalasha
21
Best Sound Design
Outstanding sound design, recording, and audio post-production in any Kenyan screen production.
🏆 Craft Kalasha
22
Best Production Design
Outstanding art direction, set design, and production design in a Kenyan screen production.
🏆 Craft Kalasha
2025 Submissions

Submit your work
for the 15th Kalasha

All Kenyan screen productions completed between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024 are eligible for submission. Submissions for the 15th Kalasha are now open.

Projects registered on the KFC platform are automatically eligible. Submission is free for KFC-registered productions — non-registered productions pay a submission fee of KSh 5,000 per category.

⏰ Submission Deadline
15 March 2025
Submissions received after this date will not be accepted. No exceptions.
✓
Now Open
Submissions Open
The 2025 submission portal is now open. Register your project on the KFC platform to submit at no charge.
2
15 March 2025
Submissions Close
Final deadline for all submissions across all 22 categories. No late entries accepted.
3
16–31 March 2025
Jury Review
Independent jury of screen industry professionals reviews all submitted entries for each category.
4
1 April 2025
Nominees Announced
5 nominees announced in each category. All submitters notified. Public nominee announcement event at KFC offices.
5
2 May 2025
Kalasha Ceremony — 15th Edition
The Kalasha Awards Ceremony at KICC, Nairobi. Winners revealed live. 800+ industry professionals.
🏆 Submit to Kalasha 2025
Free for KFC-registered productions · KSh 5,000 otherwise · Deadline 15 March
1. Eligibility
2. Project Details
3. Categories
4. Submit

Eligibility Check

Please confirm your project meets all Kalasha eligibility requirements before proceeding.

Check all boxes to proceed

Project Details

Select Categories

Select all categories you wish to enter. Each category is submitted separately. KFC-registered productions: free. Unregistered: KSh 5,000 per category.

Submission Fee Summary
Registration StatusChecking...
Categories Selected0
Fee per CategoryKSh 5,000
Total DueKSh 0

Review & Submit

Please review your submission details before finalising.

Password-protected Vimeo, private YouTube link, or secure download link. Jury access only.
Deadline: 15 March 2025
2025 Nominees — 15th Edition

The 2025 Kalasha Nominees

Announced 1 April 2025 Showing selected nominees across key categories
🎬 🏆 Winner
Best Feature Film
Nairobi After Dark
Dir. Ouma Otieno · Savannah Pictures
2024 Winner Drama 98 min
📹 🏆 Winner
Best Documentary Feature
The River Knows
Dir. Wanjiku Mwangi · Kenya Documentary Institute
2024 Winner Environmental 78 min
🎨 🏆 Winner
Best Animation
Maisha Ya Simba
Kijani Creative · Nairobi
2024 Winner 22 min Children's
📺 🏆 Winner
Best TV Drama Series
Msalaba wa Maua
Blue Nile Studios · 10 × 45 min
2024 Winner Drama Swahili
📷
Best Cinematography
Savannah Light — James Kamau
For: The Rift Keepers (documentary series)
2025 Nominee Cinematography
🎬
Best Director — Feature Film
Amira Hassan — Nairobi Noir
Savannah Pictures · Pre-Production
2025 Nominee Berlin Talents Alumni
🎞
Best Short Film
Midnight Bus to Kisumu
Dir. Ciku Mwikali · 22 min
2025 Nominee Student Film
🌟
Breakthrough Talent Award
Faith Muthoni — VFX Supervisor
For: Nairobi Noir and Silicon Savannah
2025 Nominee VFX
🎵
Best Original Score
Songs of the Rift — Zawadi Achieng
For: The Rift Keepers documentary series
2025 Nominee Original Score
Past Winners Archive

14 years of Kenyan
screen excellence

View full archive
🏆
Best Feature Film
Nairobi After Dark
Dir. Ouma Otieno · Savannah Pictures
🏆
Best Director
James Mwangi
For: The Weight of Silence
🏆
Best Actress
Njoki Karimi
For: Nairobi After Dark
🏆
Best Actor
David Waweru
For: The Long Road Home
🏆
Best Documentary Feature
The River Knows
Dir. Wanjiku Mwangi
🏆
Best TV Drama Series
Msalaba wa Maua
Blue Nile Studios
🏆
Best Animation
Maisha Ya Simba
Kijani Creative
🏆
Best Cinematography
James Kamau
For: The Long Road Home
🏆
Best Short Film
Afternoon Rain
Dir. Grace Achieng · 18 min
🏆
Best Screenplay
Brian Ngugi
For: Nairobi After Dark
🌟
Breakthrough Talent
Ciku Mwikali
Director / Animator · Kijani Creative
🏆
Best Original Score
Zawadi Achieng
For: The River Knows
🏆
Best Feature Film
Rafiki ya Roho
Dir. Samuel Ochieng · Blue Nile Studios
🏆
Best Director
Wanjiku Mwangi
For: Voices of the Rift
🏆
Best Actress
Amina Hassan
For: Rafiki ya Roho
🏆
Best Actor
Hassan Omar
For: The Fisherman's Son
🏆
Best Documentary
Voices of the Rift
Dir. Wanjiku Mwangi · 72 min
🏆
Best TV Drama
Nyumbani Kwangu
Simba Media · 12 episodes
🏆
Best Animation
Hare in the Moonlight
Kijani Creative · Pilot episode
🌟
Breakthrough Talent
Faith Muthoni
VFX / Compositor
🏆
Best Feature Film
Mtaa wa Maua
Dir. Peter Otieno · Savannah Pictures
🏆
Best Director
Grace Achieng
For: Mtaa wa Maua
🏆
Best Actress
Njoki Karimi
For: Mama Simba
🏆
Best Documentary
Children of the Mara
Dir. Dominic Mwangi · 68 min
🏆
Best Cinematography
James Kamau
For: Children of the Mara
🌟
Breakthrough Talent
Brian Ngugi
Screenwriter
🏆
Best Feature Film
Mto wa Uhai
Dir. Aisha Omondi · Kenya Documentary Institute
🏆
Best Director
Samuel Ochieng
For: Mto wa Uhai
🏆
Best TV Drama
Jasho la Siku
Blue Nile Studios · 8 episodes
🏆
Best Documentary
After the Drought
Dir. Amina Hassan · 54 min
🌟
Breakthrough Talent
Ciku Mwikali
Animator — first animated short
🏆
Best Feature Film
Bahari ya Amani
Dir. James Mwangi · Simba Media
🏆
Best Director
James Mwangi
For: Bahari ya Amani
🏆
Best Actress
Grace Achieng
For: Bahari ya Amani
🏆
Best Documentary
The Last Guardians
Dir. Dominic Mwangi · 82 min
🌟
10th Edition Grand Prix
Bahari ya Amani
Special prize — 10th anniversary edition
The Ceremony

The 15th Kalasha
Ceremony
2 May 2025

The Kalasha Awards Ceremony is the most important night in Kenya's screen calendar — an evening celebrating the best work of the year and the people who made it. The 15th edition promises to be the most spectacular yet.

📅
Date
Friday 2 May 2025
🕖
Time
6:30 PM EAT — Red carpet 6:00 PM
📍
Venue
Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Nairobi
🎙
Host
To Be Announced — 15 April 2025
📺
Broadcast
Live on Citizen TV · Streaming on KFC platform
🎟 Tickets & Access
Industry Standard
Ceremony access, welcome drink, programme booklet
KSh 5,000
★ VIP Table (8 guests)
Reserved front table, canapes, 2 bottles wine, meet nominees reception
KSh 120,000
Sponsor Table (10 guests)
Branded table, programme ads, logo on ceremony materials, VIP access
KSh 250,000
Press / Media
Red carpet access, press area, photo pit, digital press kit
Free
Become a Kalasha Sponsor

Associate your brand with Kenya's most prestigious screen industry event. Sponsorship packages from KSh 250,000 to KSh 2,000,000. Reach 800+ industry professionals and national broadcast audience.