Kenya’s creative industry is increasingly becoming a powerful space for storytelling, enterprise, and economic opportunity, with institutions such as NCBA playing a growing role in helping creatives turn talent into sustainable careers.
That commitment was evident last week when NCBA supported the media and press screening of Tides, a Kenyan film written, directed, and produced by filmmaker Ruben Odanga.
For Odanga, Tides is more than entertainment. Inspired by life and the experiences of Kenyans during the COVID-19 period, the film explores survival, work, unemployment, and the dignity of people navigating difficult circumstances.
“I just wanted to do a story that champions the underdog, tells the story of the grace of the underdog without necessarily shaming them,” Odanga said.
Through its characters and narrative, Tides invites audiences to reflect on what it means to survive, find work, and rebuild when opportunities disappear. It is also an example of how Kenyan creatives can transform everyday experiences into stories capable of sparking national conversations.
According to Odanga, NCBA’s involvement represents an important shift in how the financial sector views creative talent.
Having banked with NCBA for years while working on previous projects, including Selina, Odanga said the bank’s recent support for the creative economy, including through its partnership with Hiva Fund, is opening new possibilities for people working in the sector.
He described the support for the Tides premiere as significant, expressing optimism about further collaborations between NCBA and the creative industry.
Most importantly, he said, such partnerships are helping make the creative sector “bankable”, a development that creatives have long hoped to see.
The opportunity is significant. Kenya’s filmmakers, musicians, actors, designers, writers, photographers, and digital creators are not only producing culture; they are building businesses, creating employment, and opening new avenues for economic participation.
Providing these creatives with platforms, visibility, financing, and partnerships can therefore, help move talent beyond potential and into sustainable opportunity.
NCBA’s support for Tides reflects this broader vision: backing the people behind the stories while recognising creativity as an important part of Kenya’s economic future.
As Tides reaches cinema audiences, its journey also demonstrates what can happen when creative talent meets institutional support, giving Kenyan storytellers the confidence, visibility, and opportunity to take their ideas further.
For the wider creative economy, partnerships such as this point towards a future where Kenyan talent is not only celebrated but also supported, financed, and transformed into sustainable economic opportunity.