SOFTIE | Stream now

Directed by Sam Soko, Softie follows Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi as he tries his hands at politics for the first time in the 2017 elections and finds himself torn between his duty to his country and his family.

Softie has a 92% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has won five international awards, including a Special Jury Award for Editing at Sundance, with Boniface named one of The Unforgettables by Cinema Eye last year. Softie was also nominated for International Documentary Association, News and Documentary Emmy, and Producers Guild of America awards in 2021.

Softie’s fans include Kenyan Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, who tweeted, “As the child of a political activist who witnessed their father being harassed and injured, who wondered when and if he would come home at night, the documentary Softie moved me… It is the incredible story about the activist Boniface Mwangi and his journey to uncover the truth behind Kenya’s disheartening politics and corrupt system. If you believe in governments for the people, by the people and of the people, this film is for you.”

Need more East African content? Try 2021 Kalasha Award winners like the Showmax Original Crime and Justice, which won Best Actress for Sarah Hassan, Njoro Wa Uba, which won Best Drama and Best Actor for Joe Kinyua, Likarion Wainaina’s multi-award-winning film Supa Modo, and Tosh Gitonga’s critically-acclaimed film Nairobi Half Life.