How to Build A Library | movie | 2025 | Official Featurette - video Dailymotion

Two Kenyan women transform a dilapidated, junk-filled library in downtown Nairobi into a hub for the city's citizens and | dG1fSDJnS0szaGJkV1k

Transcript

00:00Hi, my name is Maya Leko and I'm a Kenyan filmmaker and musician.

00:11And I'm Christopher King, an Australian filmmaker who's been living in Kenya since 2007.

00:17Together we are the wife and husband co-directing team behind How to Build a Library.

00:22As Nairobians, one born and the other bred, we are continuously struck by the infectious

00:28energy and vision of our peers, while also understanding the complexities, contradictions

00:34and struggles of this city that we call home.

00:37And this is why making this film is so important to us.

00:41The film follows two remarkable women, Shiro Konange, a celebrated novelist, and Angela

00:47Washuka, a visionary publisher who quit their jobs to transform Nairobi's crumbling Macmillan

00:54Library, which was built in 1931 and was originally for white use only.

01:00Their mission is to turn this dilapidated colonial relic into a vibrant cultural hub.

01:06Filmed over eight years, we capture Shiro and Washuka as they navigate local politics,

01:12raise millions for the rebuild, and confront the ghosts of Kenya's colonial past.

01:17This is not just the film about restoring a library, but about reclaiming our narrative

01:23and sparking a cultural renaissance in Nairobi.

01:27It is also about the intergenerational tensions that come about with reimagining the future,

01:33while also celebrating African women, our resilience and creativity.

01:39The film grapples with the legacies of race and colonialism, and has challenged us to

01:44confront many uncomfortable truths.

01:47Together, we have approached this story with a shared intention, and that is to honour

01:52the voices at the heart of this story, while also examining our role in amplifying them.

01:59This is an untold story of our Nairobi, and we are so honoured to be premiering this film

02:07at Sundance 2025.

02:09We are excited, we're thrilled, we're also terrified, but we really look forward to sharing

02:14the film with all of you.