NAWI: Dear Future Me (marketed as Nawi: Dear Future Me) is a 2024 Kenyan-German coming-of-age drama directed by the brothers Toby and Kevin Schmutzler, Apuu Mourine, and Vallentine Chelluget and written by Milcah Cherotich. Set in the remote Turkana region of Kenya, the film follows a young girl's struggle against a forced marriage and her pursuit of education and self-determination.
NAWI was selected as the Kenyan's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. NAWI has screened on over 50 international film festivals worldwide and has won 25 awards, including Best Promising Actor for the film's lead actress, Michelle Lemuya Ikeny at the African Movie Academy Award, Best International Film at Raindance and the German Peace Prize "Die Brücke".
Synopsis
NAWI is set in the arid, isolated landscapes of Turkana, Kenya, focusing on the life of a young girl named Nawi. The film, based on true events, follows Nawi, a 13-year-old girl who is sold into marriage for livestock. Desperate to escape her fate, Nawi flees on her wedding night to pursue her dream of attending high school. Along her journey, she faces challenges from her family and community bound by traditional customs. Nawi takes a bold stand for her own life and those of other young girls at risk, embodying themes of resistance, hope, and transformation. The film emphasizes the need of access to education especially for girls in remote regions of Africa in order to fight the practice of forced child marriages.
Cast
Michelle Lemuya Ikeny as Nawi Joel Liwan as Joel Ochungo Benson as Eree Ben Tekee as Shadrack Michelle Chebet Tiren as Rosemary Patrick Oketch as Emanikor Nungo Marrianne Akinyi as Mama Ekai Nyokabi Macharia as Madame Christine Sienna Tanayian as Hope
Background and development
NAWI is a collaboration between the production companies FilmCrew Media GmbH and Baobab Pictures and the Turkana-based NGO Learning Lions, which focuses on educational opportunities and social empowerment for young people in Turkana, Kenya. The story for the script was found through a national writing contest in Kenya, where Milcah Cherotich, a first-time writer, shared a compelling story about a young girl facing forced marriage. This story became the foundation of the film, resonating with both local and international concerns regarding child marriage and gender equality.
NAWI was filmed in the remote landscapes of Turkana, with a team that included international and Kenyan crew members. It was directed by four directors,Toby and Kevin Schmutzler, Apuu Mourine and Vallentine Chelluget. The production itself became a learning experience for many in the region, reflecting the film's mission of empowerment through education and cross-cultural collaboration. To support the cause beyond the film, the NAWI Initiative was created, with a portion of the film's proceeds dedicated to initiatives that help girls escape forced marriage through education and support programs.
Awards
Michelle Lemuya won the 2024 African Movie Academy Award (AMAA) for Best Promising Actor for her role as Nawi. The film was also nominated in four other categories including Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Make Up. The film had its German festival premiere at the Hof International Film Festival and its Kenyan festival premiere at the Nairobi Film Fest. It's extensive festival run continued on prestigious events like Raindance, Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) and Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF).
In addition to screenings in the festival circuit, NAWI screened at high level NGO and political events like UN General Assembly 80 and UN CSW in cooperation with Girls Not Brides.
Securing an long cinema run of seven weeks within Kenya, NAWI was acclaimed for its storytelling, acting and cinematography.
At the 2026 Kalasha Awards it walked away with 5 awards namely: the Best Feature Film; Michelle Lemuya for Best Lead Actress In A Film; Viva Njeri for Best Costume Designer; Erikson Kang’ethe for Best Production Designer and the People’s Choice Award – Feature Film.
List of awards won:
Festival / Award Country Section / Category Award(s) for Nawi: Dear Future Me Ref. African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) Nigeria Acting Best Young/Promising Actor – Michelle Lemuya Ikeny African Movie Academy Awards 2024 – winners Raindance Film Festival United Kingdom Feature competition Best Feature Film; Best Debut Performance (Michelle Lemuya Ikeny) Raindance Film Festival – 33rd edition award winners Beijing International Film Festival – Tiantan Awards China Main international competition Special Jury Award FilmFreeway – Nawi: Dear Future Me awards and screenings Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) United States Narrative feature competition Best Feature Film German Film Award for Peace – "Die Brücke" Germany Peace & human rights cinema Special Prize / German Film Award for Peace for Nawi Friedenspreis geht nach Ingolstadt – espresso (18 June 2025) Zlín Film Festival – International Film Festival for Children and Youth Czech Republic Youth / junior competition Youth Jury Award for Best Feature Film (Teens & Youth section) Zlín Film Festival – awards overview Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) Switzerland International competition Audience Award 39th Fribourg IFF – audience awards and record attendance Kitale Film Week Kenya Craft / cinematography Best Cinematography Official film site – awards section for Nawi International Film Festival Gorinchem (IFFG) Netherlands International competition Audience Award Nawi – BiosAgenda (NL), noting IFFG audience award Stockholm International Film Festival Junior Sweden Youth competition (11–19) Bronze Horse – Best Film (11–19 years) Eurasia Kinofest – International Film Festival of Eurasian Countries Russia Main competition Best Film Official film site – awards section for Nawi tve Global Sustainability Film Awards (GSFA) United Kingdom Founder's Award – feature films Founder's Award (Feature category) – Sustainability on the Big Screen Current Affairs – article noting Nawi winning the Founder’s Award (Feature)Hindustan Times report on 13th GSFA mentioning Nawi Spirit of Fire International Festival of Cinematographic Debuts Russia International competition (youth / debut) Best Feature Film (International competition; Golden/Bronze Taiga) Spirit of Fire Film Festival 2025 – awards (IMDb)Africine – Nawi festival profile and awards Internationales Filmwochenende Würzburg Germany International programme Audience Award Official Würzburg Film Week 2025 results PDF – audience award for NawiMain-Post – Nawi wins audience award in Würzburg Novi Sad Film Festival Serbia Main competition Best Film Official Novi Sad Film Festival archive – award for Nawi Stony Brook Film Festival United States Festival awards Audience Award for Best Feature Stony Brook University – 30th Stony Brook Film Festival winnersVimooz – Mistura, ‘Mad Bills to Pay’ and Nawi Win Top Prizes at 30th Stony Brook Film Festival DaVinci International Film Festival United States Feature competition Leo Award – Best Feature Film (International) DaVinci International Film Festival – programme including Nawimxdwn Movies – noting Leo Award for Best Film at DaVinciVideoAge – DaVinci Fest Unveils Awards Pigeon International Film Festival Iceland International competition Best Film; Best Cinematography; Best Acting Pigeon International Film Festival – Nawi page with awards Kineko International Children’s Film Festival Japan Teens feature competition Best Teen Film / Grand Prize – Teen Feature section Report on 32nd Kineko International Children’s Film Festival – Teen Feature Grand Prize for NawiOfficial film site – awards section for Nawi Ateker International Film Festival Kenya Main competition Best Film Official film site – awards section for NawiAteker International Film Festival – social media post announcing Nawi as Best Film Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) Nigeria Performance awards Best Female Performance – Michelle Lemuya Ikeny Nawi: Dear Future Me – awards overview (IMDb)Official film site – awards section for Nawi Cinemafricano / Festival del Cinema Africano (Educational section) Italy Educational / youth jury Best Educational Film (Educational section prize) Educational section – winners list including NawiEducational 2025 – I vincitori – Cinemafricano, listing Nawi 013 International Film Festival (Cinecitta Tilburg) Netherlands International competition Audience Award 013 International Film Festival – festival pageDutch film news – article listing 013 IFF audience awards including Nawi Hollywood and African Prestigious Awards (HAPAwards) United States Film awards – Africa section Best Independent Film (Africa) HAPAwards 2025 – official winners list (PDF)Feature on HAPAwards 2025 – mentions Nawi as Best Independent Film (Africa) Film by the Sea International Film Festival Netherlands Youth & audience awards Youth Jury Award; Audience Award Film by the Sea 2025 – awards (IMDb)Programmation and awards – Film by the Sea (NL), including Nawi Kalasha Awards Kenya Film category Best Feature Film Kalasha Awards Kenya Best Lead Actress In A Film Michelle Lemuya Kalasha Awards Kenya Best Costume Designer Viva Njeri Kalasha Awards Kenya Best Production Designer Erikson Kang’ethe Kalasha Awards Kenya Film category People’s Choice Award – Feature Film
See also
List of submissions to the 97th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film List of Kenyan submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
External links