News

“60 sheep, eight camels, and 100 goats.” These words from the protagonist of Nawi: Dear Future Me, a Kenyan-German coming-of-age drama film that was Kenya’s entry for the best international feature film race at the 2025 Oscars, hit home. After all, the movie tells the story of a young African girl battling child marriage in hopes of an education and self-determination. The list of animals is the price a stranger is willing to pay for the young bride.

On Tuesday, the film, directed by the brothers Toby and Kevin Schmutzler, as well as Apuu Mourine and Vallentine Chelluget, from a script by Milcah Cherotich, is getting the spotlight at the 15th edition of the Beijing International Film Festival.

Nawi screens in the main competition section of the fest, which runs through April 26. Chinese actor-director Jiang Wen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Let the Bullets Fly) will serve as the head of the jury,...

Watching “Nawi,” two things become quickly evident. First, a wonderful lead performance carries the film. Michelle Lemuya Ikeny plays the eponymous character, a 13-year-old who yearns to go to high school but instead must face the patriarchal traditions of her community. She’s set to be married off for a substantial dowry in livestock. Second, the creative team of Toby Schmutzler, Kevin Schmutzler, Vallentine Chelluget and Apuu Mourine is so determined to make a salient point about child marriage that they deprive the film of its cinematic and entertainment value. In shifting focus to their political statement, the four co-directors fail to give their lead actor the showcase her strong performance demands.

Selected to represent Kenya at the Oscars, “Nawi” takes place in the rural region of Turkana in the northern part of the East African nation. It’s based on true events and begins with its steadfast and studious...