The Kalasha Awards, long considered the final stop of the Kenya’s film and television calendar, are running later than expected. Traditionally held in November, the awards shifted to March in recent years to align with the Kalasha International Film and TV Market. In 2024, the event ran from March 27–30 March, capped by a low-key ceremony at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC). But as of April 2025, no call for submissions has been announced, and no date has been set for this year’s edition. Is Kenya’s flagship film awards ceremony in trouble?
In a meeting with the Kenya Film Commission (KFC), CEO Timothy Owase confirmed that despite the silence, the 2025 Kalasha Awards are still happening. According to him, planning is already underway, with an official announcement to be made soon.
“We know Kalasha means a lot to many people, and filmmakers gain encouragement when their work is recognised,” Owase said, underlining the importance of the film industry. “This industry contributes significantly to the economy, touching nearly every sector through a single production – from food, to accommodation to transport.”
While the specifics behind the delay remain under wraps, Owase offered a cryptic analogy that hinted at internal shifts. Referring to Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim, he explained: “The blue ocean gives you room to operate in a way where you anticipate everything around you… Nokia had a lead with the 3310, but failed to evolve with changing technology. That’s how they lost out to Apple and Samsung.”
Though abstract, the reference suggests a potential strategic restructuring of the Kalasha Awards – a shift aimed at making the awards more competitive and better aligned with the evolving film and television landscape. But whether that’s the case remains to be seen.
Over the years, the Kalashas have faced criticism regarding credibility, selection criteria, transparency, and the relevance of its categories. While KFC has made periodic efforts to address some of these concerns, industry voices have continued to call for deeper reform. Could this year’s delay be part of a larger effort to reimagine the awards from the ground up?
And with the Kalashas’ long-standing status as the pinnacle of film and television recognition in Kenya, the bigger question emerges: Who will save the Kenyan awards system?
Look out for a broader analysis of this issue in the coming weeks, one that will examine Kenya’s creatives awards ecosystem and the gaps as we look into the future.
For now, industry stakeholders, actors, filmmakers and journalists like myself will be watching closely for the 2025 Kalasha Awards – and what its “refreshed format” will deliver, even though alluded to very vaguely.
Keep an eye out for the official announcement from the Kenya Film Commission in the weeks ahead.
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