EXCLUSIVE: Damien Hauser’s Memory Of Princess Mumbi makes history in Giornate degli Autori this year as the first Kenyan feature to debut in the independent Venice parallel section, and Deadline can reveal the trailer.
Blending documentary, improvised drama and AI-generated landscapes, the film is being billed as a new genre of African sci-fi.
It follows filmmaker Kuve as he travels to Umata in 2093 to document the aftermath of a war that revived ancient kingdoms.
There, he meets Mumbi, who challenges him to make his film without the use of AI. As Kuve searches for his own voice, he begins to realize that even in a broken world, beauty can be found in the small human moments we often overlook.
Also, described by Hauser as “an emotional love story”, the film also revolves around a love triangle between Kuve, Mumbi and the complex character of Prince, played by emerging stars of East African cinema Ibraham Joseph, Shandra Apondi and Samson Waithaka respectively.
Memory Of Princess Mumbi is the fourth feature from Swiss and Kenyan director Hauser who also wrote, edited, and acted as cinematographer and producer on the film.
It’s futuristic setting grew out of Hauser’s experimentation with AI-generated images and visuals.
“I had no intention initially of making a sci-fi film, but the worlds I was generating started to form a landscape for a story. It was all very organic. The future setting wasn’t premeditated — it emerged from those visuals. Over time, those disconnected ideas started to come together, and the futuristic setting became a meaningful part of the narrative,” he says.
Hauser shot principal photography in Kenya almost two years ago and has spent the intervening period in post-production to create the imagined future of Umata, and a history of the future where AI movies were incredibly popular in the 2030s.
“The production was very stripped-down — just me, a camera, and the actors, who also helped with lighting, costumes, and everything else. We shot on real locations and sometimes on green screen, and I used AI mainly for set extension. For example, I’d shoot a scene in a real place and then change the background using AI to create something futuristic. It helped maintain a certain level of visual quality without relying entirely on AI-generated video, which still isn’t quite there technically.”
The film is lead produced by Hauser under the banners of his Kenya-based companies Out Of My Mind Films and Zurich-based Hauserfilm with support from Swiss Films and the Red Sea Film Fund.
Co-producers are Kaleem Aftab and lead actress Apondi.
Memory of Princess Mumbi is one of the most original and striking films to emerge from the African continent,” said Aftab.
“A sci-fi romance and a love letter to cinema itself, it reframes current debates around AI in filmmaking—reminding us that, while AI may be a powerful technical tool, it is human emotion and character that truly drive storytelling,” says Aftab.
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