Venice Festival Selects Damien Hauser’s “Memory of Princess Mumbi”

Damien Hauser’s Memory of Princess Mumbi will have its world premiere in competition at the Giornate degli Autori section — an independent program of the Venice International Film Festival — on September 1, 2025, marking a historic first for a Kenyan feature film.

The sci-fi romantic mockumentary, shot entirely in Kenya with a Kenyan crew, will also have its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF 50) later in the season.

Written and directed by Hauser, the film is set in 2093 and follows Kuve, a filmmaker documenting the aftermath of a war that resurrected an ancient kingdom. In the rebuilt city of Umata, Kuve meets Mumbi, who challenges him to make his film without relying on AI. As he searches for his voice, Kuve discovers that even in a broken world, beauty exists in the small, human moments we often overlook.

Blending improvisation, archival-style footage, and timely debates over AI’s role in filmmaking, Memory of Princess Mumbi explores themes of memory, loss, and finding meaning in the mundane. The film stars Abraham Joseph and Shandra Apondi.

Co-produced by Kaleem Affablhd Apondi with support from Swiss Films and the Red Sea Film Fund, the film is one of several anticipated titles in the festival’s lineup, alongside Vladlena Sandu’s Memory, Mayra Hermosillo’s Vainilla, Nastia Korkia’s Short Summer, and Gabriel Azorín’s Last Night I Conquered the City of Thebes.

The Giornate degli Autori program runs from August 27 to September 6 in Venice, Italy.

Watch the trailer here.