Kenyan Filmmaker Takes Latest Film to Dallas, London, Paris and Beyond

Kenyan filmmaker Jinna Mutune Odede is taking her latest film, Cocoa Dreams, to audiences in Europe and the United States, following successful screenings in Kenya.

The film has held sold-out screenings in Copenhagen and Vienna, with further showings scheduled in Dallas, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, London, Amsterdam and Paris. Cocoa Dreams follows Jaber, a nuclear physicist who returns home after the death of her grandmother and unexpectedly inherits the family sugar farm. 

She decides to convert the land into a cocoa plantation, a move that brings long-standing family disputes and questions about land ownership to the surface.

The story combines a personal family conflict with wider social issues. It offers international audiences an insight into African experiences while remaining rooted in local history and realities.

Odede’s decision to take the film on an international tour reflects her determination to build audiences beyond Kenya. The screenings are also an opportunity to develop communities of support around the film in different cities and cultural settings.

At the Crossing Borders’ Food for Thought event in Copenhagen, Odede discussed the journey behind the production. The session, moderated by Aisha Tambajang, included a trailer screening followed by a conversation over food.

Odede spoke about the challenges she faced while developing the film, including persuading her family to support her ambitions and dealing with rejection from potential investors. She said she had been pursuing her filmmaking ambitions since she was 16 and had to remain persistent despite the setbacks.

“The seventh person you speak to might be the right person,” Odede said, encouraging creatives to continue building professional relationships even after repeated rejection.

She said meaningful relationships were more important than follower numbers, highlighting networking, community and trust as important parts of building a creative career. The international tour of Cocoa Dreams comes as African filmmakers continue to seek wider audiences for stories produced on the continent.