Rafiki

Completed201882 min

Kena and Ziki grow up within the same Nairobi neighbourhood but move through it differently. Kena works in her father’s shop and considers what…Read more +Read less −

Kena and Ziki grow up within the same Nairobi neighbourhood but move through it differently. Kena works in her father’s shop and considers what comes next, while Ziki brings a more flamboyant confidence to the streets around them. Their fathers’ political rivalry gives the girls another reason to be cautious, yet spending time together becomes increasingly difficult to resist. Friendship develops into romance in a community where other people are quick to notice and slower to make room for difference. Wanuri Kahiu’s film places the women’s hopes and affection alongside the pressures surrounding them, finding colour and energy in the city while asking what it costs to imagine a future that the people closest to you do not expect.

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Drama Romance

Sapphic characters & cast

Samantha Mugatsia

as Kena

Main sapphic character

Samantha Mugatsia at Cannes, CNN editorial portrait; photographer/copyright retained in source; pending rights review

Sheila Munyiva

as Ziki

Main sapphic character

1993-03-27 · ♈ Aries

Sheila Munyiva TMDB performer publicity portrait; exact Rafiki / Ziki credit independently matched to distributor press kit; rights pending editorial review

YOUR FIRST LOOK

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BEHIND THE SCENES

Details & credits

Country: Kenya, South Africa, France, Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Lebanon, United Kingdom
Language: English, Swahili
Premiere: 2019-07-17
Runtime: 82 minutes
Director: Wanuri Kahiu

Film distributor/platform exact-film key art; rights pending editorial review

Artwork source & permission status

Editorial review approved — rights not independently confirmed

Film distributor/platform exact-film key art; rights pending editorial review

Original publication ↗

Sources & editorial notes (12)

Last researched 2026-10-30. Editorially approved.

year: Sourced exact-film identity, lead eligibility and cast evidence
genres: Sourced exact-film identity, lead eligibility and cast evidence
status: Sourced exact-film identity, lead eligibility and cast evidence
country: Additional exact-film eligibility, identity, cast or edition evidence; differences retained in notes
language: Sourced exact-film identity, lead eligibility and cast evidence
directors: Sourced exact-film identity, lead eligibility and cast evidence
description: Sourced exact-film identity, lead eligibility and cast evidence
trailer url: Exact-film official platform Trailers section
watch links: Exact-film full-film destination; territory and entitlement limits apply; playback not performed
western cast: Exact-film official platform edition, cast and viewing destination checked 30 October 2026
premiere date: Selected platform/territory release date, not necessarily first world premiere
runtime minutes: Sourced exact-film identity, lead eligibility and cast evidence
classification note: Sourced exact-film identity, lead eligibility and cast evidence
representation type: Sourced exact-film identity, lead eligibility and cast evidence