Kikuyu Land is a poignant investigation into the historical and contemporary land injustices in Kenya’s highlands. In the early 1900s, the British colonial government carried out large-scale land seizures to establish farms, dispossessing Kikuyu families of their homes and ancestral wealth. Many were subsequently forced to work on the very land that had once belonged to them. Documenting Mr. Mungai’s struggle to reclaim land that was taken from his family during the colonial era — now controlled by multinational companies — the film traces the enduring legacy of colonialism within the tea industry and reveals stories that have remained buried for generations. In the process, it confronts the harsh realities of plantation life, sexual exploitation, and intergenerational hardship.
Andrew H. Brown and Bea Wangondu weave together personal narratives, archival research, and testimonies to illuminate the enduring consequences of colonial land dispossession. Drawing a direct line from past injustice to present-day struggles, the film is both deeply intimate and politically urgent.
Content Considerations: Powerful exploration of historical and contemporary land injustices in Kenya’s highlands
Best Documentary Feature Award, Mountainfilm Festival 2026; Best Cinematography for a Documentary Feature, Woods Hole Film Festival 2026
Media Partner
Community Partner
Mr. Mungai, Bea Wangondu
Kenya/USA
2026
In English, Swahili, and Kikuyu with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
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Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Tracy Rector, Amanda Brown, Mia Vyzis, Barbara Terzieff
Producer
Andrew H. Brown, Moses Bwayo, Bea Wangondu, Mike Morrisroe, Joseph Njenga
Cinematography
Andrew H. Brown
Editor
Andrew H. Brown
Original Music
Nyokabi Kariũki, Keir Vine
Andrew H. Brown
Andrew H. Brown is an Emmy Award–winning filmmaker and storyteller who has spent the past decade living and working across sub-Saharan Africa, first as a humanitarian, then behind the camera. Brown directed, shot, produced, and edited Between the Rains, which won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature and Best Cinematography at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. He edited National Geographic’s Emmy-winning Path of the Panther (2022) and produced, shot, and edited Kifaru (2019), a Jackson Wild nominee for Best Editing. Most recently, he was a cinematographer on The Last Rhinos: A New Hope (2025) for National Geographic/Disney+.
Filmography: Between the Rains (2023)
Bea Wangondu
Bea is an award-winning producer, journalist, and founder of The Bea Company, a Kenya-based creative studio dedicated to high quality and culturally rich storytelling with a strong focus on women and girls. Her work spans documentaries, branded films, and community-centered narratives designed for global audiences. Most recently, Bea was a producer for National Geographic’s The Last Rhinos: A New Hope (2025). Her short Supastarz made its international premiere at the Durban International Film Festival in 2022 and was nominated at the Zanzibar International Film Festival.
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