Black Unicorn Studios, in collaboration with Okada Media, is set to release The Christmas Run in cinemas across East Africa from 6 December. This Tanzania-Kenya collaboration also marks Tanzania’s first-ever Christmas feature.
The Christmas Run is the result of “Made in Africa” writing competition run by the Tanzanian-based production studio and talent agency Black Unicorn Studios in 2022. “We launched a writing competition in late 2022. In early 2023, Stephen Charles emerged as the winner, and now, in 2024, we are releasing his vision to the world as a feature film,” says Alinda Ruhinda, the co-founder of Black Unicorn Studios. “We want to showcase to the world what the Tanzanian film industry has to offer and this is the first step in that direction.”
The competition’s first edition led to Binti, the first Tanzanian title on Netflix. For its second edition, with a theme of “Romantic Comedies”, Black Unicorn partnered with the international distribution and production company Okada Media.
According to the producers, Charles’ story was selected from dozens of applications because his romantic comedy brought a dramatic approach to a traditional formula. “It also explored a theme very present in today’s society with young adults – mental health – while still hitting the notes of comedy and romance,” says Alinda. “Through various workshops, we developed a story that addresses loneliness and the importance of friendship and family in an East African context.”
Directed by Kenya’s Enos Olik (Jiji, Famous), The Christmas Run follows Nuru and Alex, two strangers brought together by circumstances only the holiday could deliver. The film is written by Black Unicorn’s Angela Ruhinda (Big Girl Small World, Binti), who also serves as an executive producer alongside Alinda, and Okada Media’s Serge Noukoué and Nadira Shakur.
Billed as an East African romcom, The Christmas Run introduces new faces and fresh talents in front of and behind the camera. First-time Tanzanian actors Talie Gray, Noel Magotim Salim Mohamed and Jane Masha star alongside seasoned actors like Kenyan media personality Fareed Khimani (Crime and Justice), Kenya’s Sarah Hassan (Crime and Justice) and Tanzanian Idris Sultan (Married to Work).
“We all need a fun, happy, and positive story full of love and cheer that we can watch with our friends and family that celebrates our African culture and values. That is what The Christmas Run is all about. It’s a feel-good film in every sense of the term, just in time for the Christmas season,” says co-producer Noukoué.
Watch the trailer below.
The Christmas Run is shot in English and Swahili and will have its theatrical run throughout cinemas in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from 6 December 2024.
