Swiss-Kenyan filmmaker Damien Hauser (After the Long Rains, Blind Love) is bringing something very different to Venice this year. Memory of Princess Mumbi, his fourth feature, is an improvised sci-fi romance mockumentary that explores such themes as how to find meaning in a tragic world, loss, and memory. The movie also uses AI and explores what AI means for the future of filmmaking.
“In 2094, aspiring director Kuve (Abraham Joseph) films a documentary on the Great War of the 2070s, which erased modern technology and revived kingdoms,” reads a synopsis for the fable, shot in Kenya. “Expecting to find despair in Umata, the heart of the war’s aftermath, he instead discovers a village that has found peace. There, he meets Mumbi (Shandra Apondi), who shows him the beauty in everyday moments.” Samson Waithaka plays a prince who promised to marry Mumbi, creating a love triangle.
“Memory of Princess Mumbi unfolds through Kuve’s old behind-the-scenes footage, capturing how people find meaning in a tragic world and how even the smallest moments can hold profound beauty,” concludes the synopsis.
Given the AI theme, the press materials for the film also feature this AI-generated synopsis: “In 2093, filmmaker Kuve travels to Umata to document the aftermath of a war that revived ancient kingdoms. There, he meets Mumbi, who challenges him to make his film without the use of AI. As Kuve searches for his own voice, he begins to realize that even in a broken world, beauty can be found in the small human moments we often overlook.”
Hauser is the writer, director, producer, cinematographer, and editor of the movie, plus he handled production design, costumes, music, and is part of the cast as an on-screen character named – surprise! – Damien.
The movie’s co-producers are Kaleem Aftab and Apondi, with the support of Swiss Films and the Red Sea Film Fund. Paris-based Paradise City Sales is handling international rights for the film, which world premieres in Venice’s Venice Days, or Giornate degli Autori, on Sept. 1 before screening in Toronto’s Centerpiece program.
Shot in Kenya with a Kenyan crew, the movie breaks new ground as the first-ever Kenyan feature to celebrate its premiere in the independent parallel section of the Venice festival.
“Memory of Princess Mumbi is one of the most original and striking films to emerge from the African continent,” says Aftab. “A sci-fi romance and a love letter to cinema itself, it reframes current debates around AI in filmmaking – reminding us that, while AI may be a powerful technical tool, it is human emotion and character that truly drive storytelling.”
THR can now reveal two exclusive clips from Memory of Princess Mumbi, which give a first taste and sense of the journey audiences will embark on.
The first clip sets up the cinematic world, or the universe, that Hauser and his collaborators created for Mumbi. It mentions a space station, the Great War, a technology ban, and, of course, Mumbi.
In the second clip, the main characters discuss how to edit the documentary Kuve is working on, with Mumbi questioning the decision to use AI to change a smile to a sad expression. “Are you guys making a documentary about AI or about people?” she asks. And she gets an answer.
Watch the two exclusive clips for Memory of Princess Mumbi above. The 2025 Venice Film Festival runs through Sept. 6.