Let’s slow things down this week. We aren’t at movie theatres or standard streaming platforms. We’re going free on the content jungle that is YouTube. Our focus this week is strictly on short films.
Little High
Directed and written by Allan Bosire alongside Saumu Kombo, this 29-minute piece is a comedy-drama that accomplishes a lot with its runtime.
The story follows two friends, Zuri (Fridah Mumbe) and Ciku (Bilha Muthui). Struggling with relationship challenges, they decide to get weed (bhang) to inject some joy back into their lives. That choice triggers a wild, entertaining trail of misadventures.
I appreciated how smartly the film handles its scope. Coming from a small team, you might expect a contained, single-location narrative confined to a car interior. Instead, the story constantly opens up, building a much broader world.
Visually, the team does a great job with characterisation. You can read Zuri and Ciku’s personalities just by their outfits, making it easy to distinguish the structured one from the wild one. The two leads deliver solid performances that capture their evolving emotional states, while Mugambi Ikiara fits his laid-back role. Even the cars have personalities in colour and design.
Technically, the film ticks the right boxes. The early parking lot action sequence is decently choreographed and surprisingly well-shot for a short film. The cinematographer utilises a shallow depth of field to keep focus locked on key character moments.
The wide exterior drone shots show a strong sense of composition; rather than lazily sweeping over architecture, the camera deliberately frames the subjects to create visually stunning compositions out of conventional locations. Add clever sound design and believable makeup blood, and you get a film with a strong sense of direction.
However, the opening minutes suffer from heavy exposition. A sharp, chaotic cold open would have hooked audiences far better, avoiding the temptation to hit double-speed playback just to get past the setup.
The editing is good, but it feels safe and conventional. Given the short format, the editors had room to be much punchier and more experimental. Script-wise, while the dynamic between the two leads is strong, giving them different contrasting struggles, rather than shared relationship issues, would have given their bond far more depth.
The movie also tries too hard to be comedic, sacrificing great moments of tension in the process. For example, a second-act character is introduced via a comedic TikTok gag that completely neutralises the stakes. If they had played him straight and terrifying, saving the TikTok reveal for the final moments, the payoff would have been infinitely more satisfying.
The screenplay also tries a bit too hard to be campy.
Even with those flaws, Little High is a fun, quick watch. It is sharply directed, features decent costume and makeup work, uses great locations, delivers solid performances.
Unwrapped
Directed and written by Lynn Muthiri, Unwrapped is an eight-minute short film under the Shuga Global banner. The story follows two students, Maria (Marion Kwamboka) and Kamau (Victor Muriithi), who are about to head off to different universities. Before parting ways, they attempt to do something (no spoilers here).
What works really well is the setting and tone. Instead of a typical urban backdrop, setting the film in Nakuru gives it a grounded, authentically rural feel. The production team accomplished a lot with what they had.
The props, locations, sound design, and cast feel natural. I also enjoyed the creative touches with on-screen text overlays and typography during the character introductions and opening sequence.
The highlight is the mother-daughter dynamic. The conversation at the end between Maria and her mother (Magdalene Wanjiku) adds relatable emotion, backed by solid performances. The structure is clear and easy to follow, using familiar beats that anyone growing up in rural Kenya will recognise.
As a jaded cinephile, I thought it played things a little too safe. A short film provides the perfect space to experiment with genre or take wild narrative risks. Instead, Unwrapped gets wrapped up in delivering its message that it forgets to prioritise entertainment.
Entertainment should be the Trojan horse carrying the message; here, the message weighs everything down.
It is a decently paced, nicely shot project (with Jim Bishop as cinematographer) that communicates its point clearly. Yet, because it prioritises messaging over story innovation, it ultimately ends up being a rather forgettable watch, though its message isn’t quite as heavy-handed as our next film.
Butterflies
Featuring recognisable actor Ken Ambani, Butterflies is directed and written by Juliet “Koi” Muiruri. The film follows a grieving father struggling to coexist with loss while remaining oblivious to the severe bullying and emotional crisis faced by his teenage daughter (Olivia Odhiambo).
On a technical level, the film looks polished. It carries a modern feel with great cinematography and a clean typeface during the opening. Good casting, though the performances could have been better with a stronger script.
The costumes, makeup, and location choices are on point. The story maintains a clear, accessible trajectory from start to finish while handling themes of grief, bullying, and self-awareness.
What bothered me? Starting with the fonts: I loved the clean look in the opening credits, but it feels like two unaligned teams worked on the project because the opening and closing typefaces differ wildly.
While the story illustrates its themes and is technically well put together, it becomes so obsessed with its message that it forgets to entertain.
Short films are meant to be experimental and playful, but Butterflies plays it safe. It lacks creative ambition in its execution. For instance, the daughter’s secret video diaries would have felt far more authentic if shot vertically with a shaky handheld camera rather than a static setup.
The storytelling structure feels unimaginative, designed purely to serve the theme rather than entertain the viewer. Even the editing feels optimized to deliver a message rather than a story. This isn’t a bad film, it’s competently put together, but it relies on standard tropes rather than pushing boundaries with its edit or narrative structure. Basically, it’s a one time watch.
The Test
I loved this short.
Written by Trevor Sudi, this nine-minute Kenyan short follows Hawi (Samson Omondi), who reluctantly joins his girlfriend Ayira (Vanessa Okeyo) for an STI test and counseling session.
The Test stands out as a favourite because it dares to experiment.
The chemistry between Omondi and Okeyo is spot-on. Shifting away from standard urban setting to rural areas gives the film a great backdrop, enhanced by Jim Bishop’s strong cinematography. The color grading gives the film a unique texture that amplifies the lead actors’ complexions. Shifting seamlessly between English and local mother tongues also feels natural.
The scenes featuring imaginary friends work surprisingly well without looking gimmicky. Winnie Nyaguthii’s fast, punchy editing turns a familiar topic into an engaging watch. None of the creative choices feel unnecessary, the visual style, title card, and general approach feel well thought through from conceptualisation.
I could go on, but go watch these short films for yourself, as mentioned they are free on YouTube!
Opportunity for Kenyan filmmakers
Submissions are officially open for the fourth edition of the Alternativa Film Festival, bringing its nomadic, impact-focused project to Africa in late 2027. Founded by inDrive, the non-profit initiative champions underrepresented cinematic voices across the Global South through screenings, industry networking, and fair distribution.
For filmmakers in Kenya and across the continent, this offers a brilliant platform to showcase stories to a global audience completely free of submission fees. The festival carries a total prize purse of $120,000 spread over seven awards, with three dedicated cash prizes totaling $40,000 reserved exclusively for African talent.
Short film submissions are open strictly to African talent, while feature films can enter from across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Eligible projects must be completed after January 1, 2026. Selected films may also join Alternativa’s non-profit distribution catalog, which offers upfront guarantees and subtitling support.
Submissions close on March 1, 2027 through the official Alternativa website.