{
  "id": 7972802,
  "title": "‘Call Me Queen’ to premiere at NBO Film Festival in October",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/call-me-queen-to-premiere-at-nbo-film-festival-in-october",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-17T05:00:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "KBC",
    "slug": "kbc",
    "url": "https://www.kbc.co.ke/call-me-queen-to-premiere-at-nbo-film-festival-in-october/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Kenyan set film 'Call Me Queen' is scheduled to premiere at the NBO Film Festival in Kenya on 17 October 2026. The film stars an ensemble cast including Eliane Umuhire, Denise Gough, Charlie Carrick, Dominic West, Laurent Lafitte, Danny Sapani, Michelle Tiren, Nice Githinji, Lwanda Jawar, Helen Keli, Peter Kawa, and Eddie Kimani. Directed by the award-winning French-Iranian filmmaker Emily Atef, 'Call Me Queen' is a story inspired by true events, drawn from the novel 'Mercy' by veteran foreign correspondent Lara Santoro. Set in Nairobi during the 1990s HIV/AIDS epidemic, the film follows Queen Achungo, a determined Rwandan refugee and single mother living in the Korogocho slum, and Anna, an Irish/Italian international journalist newly arrived in Kenya. Queen and Anna's lives intertwine as they navigate their different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, ultimately joining forces to fight against the injustice of unequal access to life-saving HIV medication. The film will launch in cinemas across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda from 30 October 2026, followed by online distribution via Yakwetu. The premiere at the NBO Film Festival marks the film's official Kenyan launch and has already been selected at leading international festivals. Crimson Multimedia and Yakwetu CEO Trushna Buddhdev-Patel expressed excitement about bringing the film to cinemas across East Africa and hosting Partnerships for Impact Screenings on critical issues such as HIV/AIDS prevention, detection, and treatment, equal access to healthcare, women's empowerment, and community and friendship.",
  "summary": "New Kenyan set film ‘Call Me Queen’ is set to premiere in Kenya on 17 October 2026 at the NBO Film Festival (Prestige Ngong Road from 6 PM), with members of the film’s Kenyan and international cast and crew expected to attend the special premiere. The film will then launch in cinemas across Kenya, Rwanda, […] The post ‘Call Me Queen’ to premiere at NBO Film Festival in October appeared first on…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}