Memory of Princess Mumbi

It is 2093. Umata is a futuristic African country where war in the past has brought ancient kingdoms back to life. Young filmmaker Kuve arrives in Umata to make a documentary about the aftermath of the war. Instead of the devastation he expects, he discovers a world that, despite its tragic past, has managed to create its own way of life. He meets Mumbi – a woman who fundamentally changes his view of the world and of filmmaking itself. Mumbi challenges Kuve to make his film without using artificial intelligence. In an age when technology can create images and stories, his journey becomes a search for his own cinematic voice and a return to what is real and spontaneous. In a broken world, he discovers beauty hidden in conversations, relationships, laughter and ordinary moments. Director Damien Hauser combines Afrofuturism, romance and a film within a film with a reflection on memory, technology and humanity. The film shows that while we remember great history through wars and catastrophes, we remember our own lives primarily through small, personal moments. Even in the future, what may be most precious is not technology, but ordinary human connection. The film had its world premiere in August 2025 at the 22nd edition of Giornate degli Autori during the Venice Film Festival and subsequently screened at major festivals including Toronto, Zurich, London, San Francisco and Istanbul.