Mbithi Masya
Mbithi Masya (born 13 December 1985) is a Kenyan filmmaker, artist and writer from Nairobi, Kenya.
Mbithi Masya
- Name
- Mbithi Masya
- Born
- 13 December 1985
- Birthplace
- Nairobi, Kenya
- Education
- Strathmore School, Strathmore University
- Occupation
- Film Producer
- Nationality
- Kenya
- Languages
- English
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wikidata · Q101998373 · wikipedia · Mbithi Masya
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Mbithi Masya • Born — 13 December 1985 • Birthplace — Nairobi, Kenya • Education — Strathmore School, Strathmore University • Occupation — Film Producer • Notable Works — Kati Kati Just a Band • Website — http: mbithi.co
Career
Career
He is part of the experimental collective Just a Band (2008–2016, 2022-present) that became one of Kenya's most famous bands in the 2010s. He is credited for producing, along with fellow band member Jim Chuchu, the iconic video for the song "Hahe", considered Kenya's first viral internet meme showcasing the superhero-inspired character Makmende. Other songs that Masya created videos for include Matatizo. His first feature film, Kati Kati (2016), won several awards including the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) award at the 2016 Toronto Film Festival, and the Best East African Film award at the 2017 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards. The film was submitted to the Academy Awards as Kenya's official submission for a foreign language film. In 2022, he released his short Baba, Winner of the Baobab Award for best short at the Royal African Society's Film Africa festival. The story follows a young boy who develops a unique ability to teleport as a way to cope with the trauma of sexual assault. Masya is next set to co-direct with Anjali Nayar the film Just a Band, a fictionalized documentary. As of October 2024, the film is in the development stage. Along with Sheba Hirst, Masya is the co-founder of the Nairobi Film Festival. In an interview, Hirst explained that the origins of the festival came about with Masya's realization that there wasn't a local film event at which to premiere his film, Kati Kati. She won the Kalasha Awards for best director in 2017 with Kati Kati.
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The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Mbithi Masya, revision 1372492255 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.ONE ON ONE: Filmmaker, writer and artist Mbithi Masya. Nation.
- 2.Mbithi Masya. IMDb.
- 3.Kulish, Nicholas. African Artists, Lifted by the Promises of Democracy and the Web (Published 2014). The New York Times. 2014-01-08. 0362-4331.
- 4.Modiba. Viral "Makmende" Signals Shift in African Music as Twitter Generation Takes Lead. HuffPost. 2010-05-24.
- 5.Kalasha Awards 2017: Kati Kati wins big. Showmax Stories. 2017-12-11.
- 6.Kenyan film ‘Kati Kati’ selected for Oscar Awards. Nairobi News.
- 7.In Filmmaking, Mbithi Masya Has Found a Place in the World for His "Weirdness" - Okayplayer. www.okayafrica.com.
- 8.Just A Band. Cinereach.
- 9.What It’s Like To… Run a Film Festival in Nairobi - Okayplayer. www.okayafrica.com.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 26 August 2026.
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