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
Community Partner
Kenya
2025
In English and Swahili with English subtitles
Coarse language
Open to youth!
Book Tickets
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
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
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)
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
La Bola Negra
A big, old-school historical melodrama gets a thrillingly modern, queer makeover from Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who artfully juggle three gay protagonists across stories set in 1932, 1937, and 2017. Winner: Best Director, Cannes. Screening on 35mm.
The History of Concrete
After attending a workshop on pitching saccharine Hallmark movies, John Wilson tries to apply all the same best practices to his documentary about concrete. Frequently absurd and endlessly entertaining detours, asides, and digressions ensue.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem
Once Upon a Time in Harlem splices together footage shot by William Greaves in 1972 of a group of Harlem Renaissance luminaries in conversation at Duke Ellington’s townhouse. The film is a living archive of memory, disagreement, style, and Black genius.
An American Werewolf in London
Two American students get into a spot of bother with the wildlife in rural England. Then they introduce the virus to the big city... John Landis's goofy horror comedy is a very good night out. So long as it's not a full moon...
