Growing up in Nairobi’s Eastlands, my world was small. In a neighbourhood where many dreams died young, success meant becoming a matatu conductor or the local kings of the streets.
But everything changed when I discovered the magic of movies. I would save every 5-shilling coin to watch films like “Rambo” in cramped video shacks, with little knowledge that those flickering images would one day lead me to Hollywood.
My filmmaking journey was far from easy; the journalism school I enrolled in unexpectedly became a church.
From then on, I took small acting jobs in commercials, earning just 500 Kenyan shillings a day, but I persevered, creating my first short film, Misfit, using a friend’s borrowed camera.
When it won the Silver Dhow award at Zanzibar Film Festival, I began to believe my dreams might be possible.
Then came a life-changing opportunity.
The U.S. State Department selected me for their prestigious American Film Showcase program, bringing me to Los Angeles to learn from Oscar-winning filmmakers. Walking through Beverly Hills and standing on the actual sets at Universal Studios where movies like “Nope” were filmed, it all felt surreal.
But the defining moment came when I held an actual Oscar statuette at the Academy Museum. The weight of it in my hands, both physical and symbolic, made Lupita Nyong’o’s famous words ring true: “Your dreams are valid.”
In that moment, everything changed.
Now I’ve returned to Kenya with renewed purpose, working on my first feature film. That Oscar wasn’t just a trophy I held; it became a beacon showing what’s possible.
My story proves that no matter where you come from, with passion and perseverance, even the biggest dreams can become reality.
Special thanks to Popo for lending me that first camera, to Docubox for their crucial support, and to the Kenya Film Commission for their guidance. This is just the beginning of the story.
Karanja Ng’endo is a Kenyan filmmaker born and raised in Nairobi who is inspired by the beauty and authenticity of African storytelling. His works have been selected and won awards at the AMVCA, Zanzibar International Film Festival, Carthage Film Festival, Kalasha International, and Kisima Film Festival, among others. He was part of the inaugural class of the Multichoice Talent Factory program. as well as an American Film Showcase Alumni.
He recently completed a film residency at an international class at Germany’s FilmAkademie Baden-Württemberg and was awarded the One World Media 2020 Fellowship. He also attended the Ouaga Film Lab 2022 and the Somefineday Pix 2024.
