HOW TO BUILD A LIBRARY
Built in 1932, the stately McMillan Memorial Library in Nairobi was a whites-only space until 1958. After it fell into disrepair, acclaimed novelist Wanjiru "Shiro" Koinange and celebrated publisher Angela Wachuka took over its management in 2018 with dreams of turning it into a vibrant new community-oriented space called Book Bunk. As they struggle with funding and bureaucratic red tape, they must face the library’s colonial legacy and find new ways to decolonize its function. As budgets bust and timelines are not met, the never-ending stress finds a way into Shiro and Wachuka’s relationship, but their commitment to the cause never wavers. A bristling metaphor for Kenya itself, the library project finds filmmakers Maia Lekow and Christopher King (THE LETTER) examining a new generation of women leaders who want to bring change and new ideas to Nairobi. Official Selection, 2025 Sundance Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Maia Lekow, Christopher King; SCR Ricardo Acosta. Kenya, 2025, color, 103 min. In English and Kiswahili with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Run Time: 103 Minutes
Opening Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Genre: Documentary
