Kenya / 2007 / 12mins / Documentary / English

Coming Of Age takes us through the development of Kenyan democracy through the eyes of a young Kenyan girl. The naive post-independence euphoria is reflected in an innocent young girl's outlook; Moi's oppressive regime is narrated through her teenage turmoil; and a more mature narrator comes of age with the election President Kibaki. But after disputed election results in December 2007, we are left to wonder if democracy ever truly comes of age.

Judy Kibinge

Judy Kibinge is a Kenyan writer and filmmaker. After creating numerous commercials during her eight years in advertising, she decided to pursue filmmaking. Her award-winning films include Dangerous Affair (2002), winner of the ZIFF Best East African Production Award, Bless This Land (2005), winner of the Kenya International Film Festival Best Documentary Award, Coming of Age (2007) and Killer Necklace (2009). She owns Seven, an independent production house in Nairobi, Kenya, founded in 2006. Her film Something Necessary (2013) was screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, which is about a woman's struggle of living in Kenya after the election unrest in 2007. In 2017, Kibinge was chosen to be an Academy voter by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the categories of documentary, international features and animation. She founded DocuBox with funding from the Ford Foundation in order to develop the skills of filmmaking for African Filmmakers, as well as provide funding, distribution and production support for documentary filmmakers. Learn More