Africadelic X Ventilator Cinema Memory of Princess Mumbi - NL Premiere

Director: Damien Hauser

Country: Kenya and Switzerland

Year: 2025

Length: 80'

Language: English with English subtitles

Extra: The short film The River

(2024, 17', dir. Herrana Addisu)

Amharic with English subtitles)

Extra: With an introduction by TBA
ABOUT THE FILM

Set in 2093, Memory of Princess Mumbi follows young filmmaker Kuve as he travels to the fictional African kingdom of Umata to make a documentary about the aftermath of a devastating war that led to the rejection of modern technology and a return to ancient kingdoms.

There he meets Mumbi, an aspiring actress who challenges him to make his film without artificial intelligence, relying instead on his own eyes, hands and imagination. As Kuve becomes increasingly fascinated by Mumbi and the world around her, his documentary gradually transforms into something more intimate.

Blending science fiction, romance and mockumentary, Damien Hauser’s inventive film explores memory, filmmaking and our relationship with technology, asking what remains distinctly human in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

Shot in Kenya on a micro-budget, the film combines live action, green-screen techniques and AI-generated imagery. Hauser took on multiple roles, including writer, director, cinematographer, editor and composer, combining new digital tools with a handmade, independent approach to filmmaking.

Since premiering in the Giornate degli Autori section of the 2025 Venice Film Festival, Memory of Princess Mumbi has screened internationally at festivals including Toronto, BFI London, Zurich, Ghent and San Francisco. The film received the ZFF Critics Award at the Zurich Film Festival and the Golden Tulip for Best Film at the Istanbul Film Festival.

We are very happy to welcome Africadelic to Ventilator Cinema for this special screening and Dutch premiere.
THE RIVER

Inspired by director Herrana Addisu’s childhood home in Kebena in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, The River is an intimate and poetic exploration of Ethiopian womanhood, culture, and resilience. Unfolding through choreographed movement, vibrant dress, traditional music, and intergenerational storytelling, the film follows the rhythms of women’s daily lives and their relationship with the Kebena River. While celebrating cultural beauty and traditions passed between generations, The River exposes the systemic barriers women continue to face, including forced marriage, limited access to education and unequal access to water. Moving between celebration and critique, water emerges as both a source of life and community and a site of burden and vulnerability, connecting the experiences of women in Kebena to wider struggles over gender inequality and water accessibility.
ABOUT AFRICADELIC

Africadelic is an Amsterdam-based non-profit platform dedicated to African and African diasporic cultural creativity, diversity and activism. Alongside its annual festival, Africadelic presents screenings, talks and cultural events throughout the year.
TIME SCHEDULE

18:45 Doors open

19:15 Introduction

19:33 Short film: The River (17')

19:50 Feature film: Memory of Princess Mumbi (80')

21:10 Film ends