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Draft:Memory of Princess Mumbi

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Memory of Princess Mumbi
Directed byDamien Hauser[1]
Written byDamien Hauser[1]
Produced by
  • Damien Hauser[1]
  • Kaleem Aftab[1]
  • Shandra Apondi[1]
Starring
  • Ibrahim Joseph[1]
  • Shandra Apondi[1]
  • Samson Waithaka[1]
  • Michael Garama[1]
  • Damien Hauser[1]
CinematographyDamien Hauser[1]
Edited byDamien Hauser[1]
Music byDamien Hauser[1]
Production
companies
  • Out of My Mind Films[1]
  • Hauserfilm[1]
  • Red Sea Film Fund[2]
Distributed byParadise City (film sales)[1]
Release date
Running time
80 minutes[1]
Countries
LanguageEnglish[1]

Memory of Princess Mumbi is a 2025 Kenyan-Swiss science-fiction mockumentary film by Damien Hauser, in which a late 21st-century European filmmaker experiences romance and tragedy in a fictional African realm. It was Hauser's fourth feature film, which he made as a means of coping with his brother's death. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on 1 September 2025, when he was 24 years old. Reviews were positive, and highlighted the use of AI technology while noting the plot's cultural and metafictional overtones.

Synopsis

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In 2093, European documentary filmmaker Kuve visits the African coastal realm of Umata for a project covering the effects of a major war it suffered from in the 2070s. Umata's nearby regions have banned computer technology to curb further depression in their citizens, and have returned to running as traditional kingdoms.[1][3]

One of the locals Kuve recruits for his documentary, a woman named Mumbi, challenges him and his crew to make a film free of artificial intelligence.[1][2][3] Kuve eventually falls in love with Mumbi, but the latter is betrothed to a prince named Prince, ruler of a neighbouring kingdom. Six years later, Mumbi the princess reunites with Kuve, but old romantic tensions between them lead to tragedy for her during production of his new blockbuster.[1]

Cast

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Taken from The Film Verdict and Cineuropa.[1][3]
  • Ibrahim Joseph as Kuve
  • Damien Hauser as himself (Kuve's assistant)
  • Shandra Apondi as Princess Mumbi
  • Samson Waithaka as Prince Prince
  • Michael Garama

Production

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Memory of Princess Mumbi was Damien Hauser's fourth feature film, and was a co-production of Kenya's Out of My Mind Films and Switzerland's Hauserfilm[1] (with support from the Red Sea Film Fund);[2] it premiered when he was only 24 years old.[3] After his teenage brother died in a motorcycle crash,[1][2] "Hauser decided to create something at the intersection of loss and memory — a collage of 'beautiful moments' that could elide the tragedy at its heart while helping him process his own grief."[2] The film's end credits carry a dedication to the brother.[1]

Announced in December 2024 as a Red Sea Souk project,[4] Princess Mumbi was shot on the Kenyan coast on a small budget[1][2] and extensively used AI technology for the Umata setting,[2] alongside traditional CGI work and greenscreen;[1] the dialogue was also improvised.[1] Hauser served as writer, producer, director, editor, cinematographer, composer, and production designer, and also starred as himself in an off-screen cameo. He sought to avoid branding it as a work of Afrofuturism to counter traditional European-made depictions of Africa.[1]

Themes

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Princess Mumbi has been described as a metafictional blend between the mockumentary, romance, and sci-fi genres.[1][2][3][5] It has been viewed as a commentary of the debate surrounding AI use in film,[1][3] as well as the effects of colonialism in Africa;[1] elements of Swahili and Kenyan culture are also present.[3][5] The title's eventual premiere venue, Venice, is referenced in an in-joke ad promoting the 2097 edition.[2]

Release and reception

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Upon its Venice Film Festival premiere on 1 September 2025,[3] Memory of Princess Mumbi was the first Kenyan production chosen for its Venice Days (Giornate degli Autori) lineup;[1][5] the film was also shown at Toronto.[1] International sales are handled by Paris-based Paradise City.[1]

The film received positive reviews after its Venice screening. Stephen Dalton of The Film Verdict praised the set design, adding: "There are plot holes, ragged edges and stilted performances here. But they scarcely matter when the end result is so formally inventive, tearing up cinematic conventions, keeping us on our toes with a feast of images and ideas."[1] Kelvin Kariuki called it "a fever dream...ambitious in scope, yet refreshingly simple when it needs to be." He worried that the film's AI use would polarise its perception, but otherwise concluded that it made a perfect fit and commended Hauser on his strategy.[5] Cineuropa contributor Vittora Scarpa wrote, "[A]t times chaotic but always entertaining to watch, [Mumbi] reflects the vitality and will to experiment of [Hauser's] young age."[3] Reviewers also took note of Hauser's ability to create a high-quality Umata on a low budget.[1][3]

See also

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  • Black Panther (2018), which also profiles a futuristic African kingdom

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am Dalton, Stephen (2 September 2025). "Memory of Princess Mumbi". The Film Verdict. Archived from the original on 8 September 2025. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Vourlias, Christopher (1 September 2025). "'Memory of Princess Mumbi' Director Damien Hauser on Using AI to Make a Movie That 'AI Could Never Make'". Variety. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Scarpa, Vittoria (2 September 2025). "Venice 2025 Giornate degli Autori — Review: Memory of Princess Mumbi". Cineuropa. MEDIA (Creative Europe). Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  4. ^ Salwa, Ora (3 December 2024). "Red Sea 2024: The Red Sea Souk gears up to present 38 projects". Cineuropa. MEDIA (Creative Europe). Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d Kariuki, Kelvin (10 September 2025). "'Memory of Princess Mumbi' Venice Review: Damien Hauser's Sci-Fi Experiment Shines with Authentic Sincerity". Sinema Focus. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
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