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How to Build a Library film image; people sifting through books and papers

How to Build a Library

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What does it mean to decolonize a library? In How to Build a Library, Kenyan visionaries Angela Wachuka and Wanjiru Koinange attempt to answer that question. Their mission: to restore Nairobi’s McMillan Memorial Library and its satellite branches — dilapidated leftovers of a segregationist past — into vibrant, inclusive community hubs. But archival dust isn’t the only thing the pair must contend with, and corrupt bureaucracy, donor politics, and a colonial infrastructure still embedded in the architecture of knowledge all stand in their way.

With intimate access and a sharp observational eye, wife-and-husband directing team Maia Lekow and Christopher King chronicle a seven-year effort to reclaim civic space, democratize access, and challenge the epistemic violence of Western cataloguing systems like Dewey Decimal. Through stalled renovations, uncomfortable compromises, and moments of quiet defiance, How to Build a Library shows that reimagining the future requires grappling with the past. It’s a moving portrait of two women rewriting not just the shelves but the rules.

 

Media Partner

Tyee logo

Community Partner

Directors
Credits
Country of Origin

Kenya

Year

2025

Language

In English and Swahili with English subtitles

Links
Content Warning

Coarse language

PG

Open to youth!

101 min
Art, Music & Photography Black Cinema Documentary Human Rights & Social Justice Women Directors
Circle & Square Productions, One Story Up

Book Tickets

Saturday October 11

6:30 pm
Hearing Assistance Subtitles U18 May Attend
International Village 9
Book Now

Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Roger Ross Williams, Geoff Martz, Judy Kibinge, D.D. Wigley,Maxyne Franklin, Nikki Heyman, Geralyn Dreyfous, Regina K. Scully, Tegan Acton, Emma Pompetti, Melony Lewis, Adam Lewis, Jamie Wolf, Nathalie Seaver

Producer

Maia Lekow, Christopher King

Screenwriter

Christopher King, Maia Lekow, Ricardo Acosta

Cinematography

Christopher King, Wambui Muigai, Emma Nzioka, Ronald Ronics

Editor

Christopher King, Ricardo Acosta, Maia Lekow, Michael Onyiego

Original Music

Katya Mihailova, Maia Lekow, Daniel Hoffknecht

Maia Lekow headshot

Maia Lekow

Maia Lekow is an award-winning Kenyan director, producer, composer, and musician whose multidisciplinary approach fosters intimate and emotionally resonant storytelling. Working alongside her husband and creative partner Christopher King, the duo tell deeply personal, multilayered stories that explore identity, culture, resilience, and the legacies of colonialism. Her debut feature documentary, The Letter (2019), was Kenya’s official submission to the 93rd Academy Awards, earning international acclaim for its tender and powerful portrait of family, religion, and intergenerational conflict. Her second feature, How to Build a Library, premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Filmography: The Letter (2019)

Christopher King headshot

Christopher King

Christopher King is an award-winning director, editor, cinematographer, and producer originally from Melbourne, Australia, who has called Nairobi, Kenya home since 2007. King co-founded the Nairobi-based production company Circle & Square Productions with his wife and creative partner, Maia Lekow. Together, they craft deeply observational, cinematic documentaries that bridge continents and challenge narratives. Their debut feature, The Letter (2019), was Kenya’s official submission to the 93rd Academy Awards, earning international acclaim for its intimate style. Their second feature, How to Build a Library, premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Filmography: The Letter (2019)

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How to Build a Library
How to Build a Library film image; people sifting through books and papers

How to Build a Library

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Can a library be decolonized? How to Build a Library follows two visionary women on a quest to restore Nairobi’s McMillan Memorial Library and exorcise its colonial ghosts. A powerful documentary on archives, access, and reclaiming civic space.

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