Float

Lydia Matata

Lydia Matata is a filmmaker based in Nairobi, Kenya, whose work explores the people, issues, and experiences that move her.
Her latest documentary, Kenyan on Mars, is currently screening on Al Jazeera’s Africa Direct platform. She is also one of the writers of Country Queen, Kenya’s first original Netflix series.
She recently wrote and directed the narrative short Float. The film was recently selected in the Sparks Junior category at the Kurzfilmtage Winterthur Film Festival and has also screened at the the Lucas International Film Festival, Brussels International Women’s Film Festival and Fame Short Film Festival in Cape Town.
Lydia wrote and directed the short film Sungura, which has also screened at several notable festivals, including the Interfilm International Short Film Festival and the Cannes Pan African Film Festival.
Her documentary Utapata Mwingine received the Best Emerging Filmmaker Award at the UN Women Global Voices Film Festival in 2021.
Lydia is currently developing her debut fiction feature Pepo Kali, which was recently awarded the Red Sea Film Festival’s Production Prize. A proof-of-concept version of the feature premiered at the New York African Film Festival. She recently completed an MA in Directing as a Chevening Scholar in the UK.