The new trailer for Reuben Odanga’s new film starring Sarah Hassan and Brian Kabugi has been released.
The film, set to premiere on August 8 hosted by Century Cinemax, is a musical romance drama set at the coast.
The story follows a musician couple pushed to their limits as dwindling gig opportunities collide with mounting financial pressure brought on by their daughter’s serious medical condition. As survival becomes increasingly uncertain, the choices they make threaten to change their relationship forever.
‘Tides’ also stars Minne Kariuki (Single Kiasi) in her feature film debut and South African actor Dumisani Mbebe, known for the Netflix series ‘Savage Beauty’ with Sikukuu Hamisi Jumaa (Sultana), Zippy Okoth (Nafsi), Andrew Muthure (Untying Kantai) and Muthoni Gathecha (Boda Love) round out the cast.
Speaking of the film’s inspiration, Mr Odanga said: “With Tides, I wanted to explore the human realities behind these relationships and the complex intersection of poverty, desire, power and survival,” says Odanga. “This film invites audiences to look beyond easy judgments and engage with uncomfortable truths.”
The film features original music written by Silayio, who represented Kenya on several international stages, including winning Best Female Artist (East Africa) at the 2005 Kora Awards and competing on The Voice of Holland in 2017, where she finished seventh. Most recently, she appeared on the Dutch singing competition The Winner Takes It All in 2026.
Discussing her work on ‘Tides’, Silayio says it gave an opportunity to work with different genres.
“I can feel the growth in skill and confidence in myself from taking on the vision,” she said.
The project also allowed her to combine several of her passions: acting, singing and songwriting.
“I wrote and sang the music from the active perspective of what it would feel like to perform it on camera,” says Silayio, whose acting credits include Odanga’s feature debut Nafsi, Philit Productions’ comedy-drama Untying Kantai and Maisha Magic’s telenovela Kina. “That point of view was inspired by my experience as an actor, and it was fun to explore that intersection.”
