Kenyan filmmaker Peter Murimi invited to join Oscars Voting Academy

Kenyan documentary filmmaker Peter Murimi has received major international recognition after being invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organisation behind the Oscars.

In a statement issued on Thursday, June 25, 2026, the Academy announced that it was extending invitations to 529 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves through their contributions to motion pictures.

Murimi was among those invited under the Documentary branch, with the Academy citing his acclaimed works The Battle for Laikipia and I Am Samuel.

“We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists, and professionals to join the Academy,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in the statement.

If he accepts the invitation, Murimi will become part of the Academy’s voting membership, joining the body responsible for selecting Oscar nominees and winners.

The Academy noted that the 2026 invitees include 95 Oscar nominees, 21 Oscar winners and three recipients of Scientific and Technical Awards.

Career beyond documentaries

The recognition reflects a career spanning more than two decades and stretches far beyond the two documentaries highlighted by the Academy.

Murimi first gained continental recognition in 2004 when he won the CNN African Journalist of the Year Award for Walk to Womanhood, a documentary examining female genital mutilation (FGM).

Since then, he has worked across more than 30 African countries, producing documentaries and investigative films.

His body of work includes The Baby Stealers, an investigation into child trafficking and illegal adoption practices, and Slum Survivors, a documentary filmed in Nairobi’s Kibera informal settlement.

Murimi’s documentary I Am Samuel received widespread acclaim for its intimate storytelling and screened at major festivals including Hot Docs, the BFI London Film Festival and the Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

Meanwhile, The Battle for Laikipia premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, drawing global attention to land, climate and conservation conflicts in Laikipia County.

Growing Kenyan presence

Murimi joins a small but growing group of Kenyan creatives who have received invitations or recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Among them are filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu, who was invited to join the Academy in 2020, Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, award-winning animator Ng’endo Mukii, who joined the Academy’s animation branch in 2022, and veteran filmmaker Judy Kibinge, who also received an invitation that year.

According to the Academy, membership invitations are extended based on professional achievements and contributions to the film industry.