A film festival will roll out in Nairobi on Monday featuring 2,600 entries from 120 countries, including India, many about slum lives or shot by slum communities.
Organisers of the annual Slum Film Festival, now in its seventh year, said on Sunday that the films will be screened in two of Kenya's largest slums, Kibera and Mathare, Xinhua news agency reported.
George Karanja, the Director of the Film Festival, said the bulk of African entries were received from Nigeria, Cameroon and Kenya, and will be screened alongside non-African films from the US, India, Pakistan and others.
The community-based film event features stories by, and about people living in urban slums globally.
The highlight of this year's event is the award-cum-closing ceremony set for October 6 and which will be graced by influential players in the film industry, both local and foreign.
Karanja said winners from nominated entries in over 10 categories ranging from best African film, best international film, best cinematography, best director to best sound, will be awarded during on the gala night.
The festival aims to offer a platform for films from slum communities to reach broader audiences as well as promoting dialogue about life in slums by using stories from such communities.
"The festival demonstrates that slums are also a home for very talented, creative and culturally active artists," said Karanja.