Globally acclaimed Nigerian filmmaker, Ike Nnaebue, has joined a select group of African documentary storytellers in Nairobi for the NTD Documentary Lab, a weeklong story development programme hosted by Documentary Africa (DocA) in partnership with The END Fund.

The initiative, which opened in Kenya’s capital, seeks to harness the power of film to spotlight Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)—a group of preventable and treatable conditions affecting over 1.6 billion people worldwide, many of them in Africa.

Seven filmmakers from across the continent are participating in the lab, each tasked with producing a short documentary highlighting resilience, innovation, and community action in the fight to eliminate NTDs by 2030.

For Nnaebue, director of the award-winning No U Turn, the lab is both a creative and social mission. “It has been a highly enriching experience, a fun and exciting discovery journey,” he said. “Being in a space with such diverse, talented filmmakers, all committed to giving voice to overlooked stories, is both humbling and energising.”

According to Yusuf Ahmed, Senior Associate Director at The END Fund, the films will play a critical role in reshaping global perceptions: “Each filmmaker has a distinct narrative, but together, they share a unified goal—to make NTDs visible and urgent.”

DocA’s Executive Director, Mohamed Said Ouma, added that participants were chosen for their cinematic excellence and ability to tell authentic, community-rooted stories. “This lab is as much about craft as it is about impact,” he said.

Other participants include Kenya’s Zippy Kimundu, Mali’s Ousmane Z. Samassékou, Ethiopia’s Beza Hailu Lemma, Kenya’s Saitabao Kaiyare, Tunisia’s Ridha Tlili, and Burkina Faso’s Michel K. Zongo.

Throughout the week, the filmmakers engaged in workshops, field visits, and collaborative sessions that emphasized both technical skill and ethical representation of vulnerable communities.

NTDs such as river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, and schistosomiasis disproportionately affect impoverished communities, yet remain underreported in policy and public discourse. The lab aims to change that by producing films that will not only feature at global festivals but also reach schools, communities, and policy platforms.

The completed documentaries are expected to premiere at major festivals, supported by impact campaigns designed to drive awareness and inspire action.

“We are not just making films,” Nnaebue said. “We are building a legacy of African voices telling African stories—stories that can move hearts, influence minds, and change lives.”