Nkatha film critic🇰🇪

Distribution diaries 9
Following our visit to the CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée) in France, I’ve been thinking about what stronger international co-production partnerships could mean for Kenyan cinema.
France already has co-production treaties with several African countries. So, why not Kenya?
But before we get too excited, let’s talk about the opportunities AND the trade-offs.
The pros:
- Access to additional financing opportunities, incentives and production resources.
- Opportunities to share expertise, talent and technical capacity.
- Potential to reach new audiences and international markets.
- Under qualifying treaties, recognition as a national production in both countries.
The cons:
- More complicated financing, legal agreements and administrative processes.
- Creative compromises when partners have different expectations.
- Potential imbalances in negotiating power and ownership.
- More stakeholders can mean slower decision-making and higher coordination costs.
And here’s something important: a co-production treaty doesn’t automatically guarantee funding, distribution or commercial success.
Kenya already has the talent, growing industry infrastructure and international relationships to build on. The question is how we develop partnerships that are genuinely beneficial to our filmmakers.
For me, the goal isn’t simply to make more international co-productions. It’s to negotiate better partnerships, protect our creative interests and build sustainable film businesses.
Would a Kenya–France co-production treaty be a worthwhile next step?
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