In the year 2093, a filmmaker named Kuve arrives in the fictional African nation of Umata, where generative AI has been used to digitally resurrect the continent’s ancient kingdoms. There, he meets Princess Mumbi, a magnetic young woman torn between royal duty and her dream of becoming an actress. As their encounter unfolds, Kuve is drawn into a layered triangle of memory, mythology, and authorship—one that quietly interrogates the role of technology in shaping historical narratives. What does it mean to revive the past with tools that never knew it?
Directed by Swiss-Kenyan filmmaker Damien Hauser, Memory of Princess Mumbi is a daringly self-reflexive debut that blends mockumentary, romantic drama, and political satire into a low-budget speculative fable. Entirely self-produced and built with digital worldbuilding tools, the film is less interested in prediction than in provocation. At its heart is a question that lingers long after the credits: Can storytelling remain sovereign in an age of artificial memory, or has the archive already been rewritten?
Presented by
Community Partner
Shandra Apondi, Ibraham Joseph, Samson Waithaka, Michael Garama, Damien Hauser, Newton Ronnoh
Kenya/Switzerland
2025
English
At International Village
At Fifth Avenue
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Producer
Damien Hauser
Screenwriter
Damien Hauser
Cinematography
Damien Hauser
Editor
Damien Hauser
Production Design
Damien Hauser
Original Music
Damien Hauser
Damien Hauser
Filmography: Blind Love (2021); Theo: Eine Konversation Mit Der Ehrlichkeit (2022); After the Long Rains (2024)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Baltimorons
An early Xmas present and the rom-com of the year: a dental emergency on Christmas Eve brings together flailing comedian Chris and cynical divorcee Didi for a series of low-key urban misadventures.
Cover-Up
Oscar-winner Laura Poitras and Emmy-winner Mark Obenhaus turn their lens on legendary journalist Seymour Hersh in a riveting film that unpacks how one reporter exposed the truths behind My Lai and Abu Ghraib — and what it takes to hold power to account.
Image: © The New York Times
The Muppet Christmas Carol
VIFF Kids Club is our monthly family series with films, crafts and more! Doors at 10 am for activities, film at 11 am. Sir Michael Caine shines as Ebenezer Scrooge in this downright irresistible musical Muppet version of the Dickens yuletide favourite!
You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine
A remarkable line up of artists come together to share their love for the great American singer-songwriter John Prine, including Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Kurt Vile and Kasey Musgraves.