The year is 2093, a futuristic African country, and a young filmmaker is tasked with making a documentary about a world ravaged by war. When he meets Mumbi, his film takes a completely different direction. An Afrofuturistic romance about a world where humanity may be the last thing AI can't replace.
The year is 2093. Umata is a futuristic African country where war has brought ancient kingdoms back to life. Young filmmaker Kuve arrives in Umata to film a documentary about the aftermath of the war. Instead of the expected destruction, however, he discovers a world that, despite its tragic past, has managed to create its own way of life. He meets Mumbi, a woman who will fundamentally change his view of the world and filmmaking itself. Mumbi challenges Kuve to make his film without the use of artificial intelligence. In an era where technology can create both images and stories, his journey becomes a search for his own filmmaking style and a return to what is real and spontaneous. In the process, he discovers the beauty hidden in conversations, relationships, laughter and ordinary moments in a broken world. Director Damien Hauser combines Afrofuturism, romance and film about film with reflections on memory, technology and humanity. The film shows that while we preserve great histories through wars and disasters, our own lives are remembered primarily through small, personal moments. In the future, ordinary human closeness, not technology, may be precious. The film had its world premiere in August 2025 at the 22nd Giornate degli Autori during the Venice International Film Festival and was subsequently presented at major festivals including Toronto, Zurich, London, San Francisco and Istanbul.
Memory of Princess Mumbi
Drama Romantic Sci-Fi
Switzerland / Kenya / Saudi Arabia 2025 79 min
Directed by: Damien Hauser
BE2CAN
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