Case Study: HOW TO BUILD A LIBRARY with Maia Lekow

Join Women Make Movies in the exciting case study on Maia Lekow’s journey co-directing HOW TO BUILD A LIBRARY. This webinar will have a special focus on its international co-production with Executive Prouder Roger Ross Williams and the importance of this model now more than ever when grants and funding are being endangered in the US.   

Nairobi-born-and-based filmmaker Maia Lekow first burst onto the international scene with her 2019 award-winning documentary, THE LETTER, which was Kenya’s official selection to the 93rd Academy Awards and co-directed by her filmmaking and real-life partner Christopher King. Fast forward to January 2025, and their latest feature-length documentary, HOW TO BUILD A LIBRARY had its World Premiere in the World Competition section at Sundance and has already gone on to SXSW, True/False, CPH:DOX, San Francisco International Film Festival and recently won the award for Best Documentary at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival. 

HOW TO BUILD A LIBRARY, made with the support of the Production Assistance Program, follows two intrepid Nairobi women who decide to transform what used to be a whites-only library until 1958 into a vibrant cultural hub. Along the way, they must navigate local politics, raise millions for the rebuild, and confront the lingering ghosts of Kenya’s colonial past. 

This is the first session in the four-part series, FILMS IN FOCUS: The Road to Sundance or SXSW

Maia Lekow is an award-winning Kenyan filmmaker and musician. Maia fuses her music with a fascination of people and culture to make deeply personal and multi-layered films. Working together with husband Christopher King, their debut feature-documentary The Letter, Kenya’s Official selection to the 93rd Academy Awards, explores the inter-generational conflict currently happening within Maia's father's homeland, coastal Kenya. Maia also co-composed an original score for the film, collaborating with Emmy-Award winning composer Ken Myhr. The Letter recently received an award at the Fespaco film festival from the African Union for promotion of peace and non violence. Maia was named a goodwill ambassador for UNHCR on World Refugee Day 2013, and she received an African Movie Academy Award for her song ‘Uko Wapi'. The duo are directing two films currently in production.

Accessibility: Real-time captions are provided, and recordings are available after the sessions to watch on-demand with captions. Email fsprogram@wmm.com with needs or questions.

IMPORTANT WEBINAR REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

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Women Make Movies gratefully acknowledges the support of our co-sponsor, Film Fatales. Film Fatales is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to improving the careers of filmmakers of all marginalized genders.

Women Make Movies gratefully acknowledges the support of our funders: The National Endowment for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Humanities, the New York State Council on the Arts, and with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Golden Globe Foundation, and the Jerome Foundation.