Lydia Matata

writer, director & producer

Kenya

Lydia Matata is a filmmaker based Nairobi Kenya. Lydia wrote and directed Sungura (rabbit) a short film revolving around sexuality, disability and inclusiveness. The project has just been selected to screen at the Festival International du Film Panafricain de Cannes and was one of eight finalists of the Interfilm International Short Film Festival’s Script Pitch Competition.
Her documentary short, Utapata Mwingine was released in August,2020. The film has been selected to various festivals including the UN Women’s Global Voices Film Festival where it won the Best Emerging Filmmaker Award.
Her other fictional short film Millet won the Kenyan scriptwriting competition, Shorts, Shots & Shots in 2018.
In addition, Lydia is one of the writer/creators of Country Queen, a Kenyan/German co-produced TV series which was recently optioned by Netflix.

Prizes: Best Emerging Filmmaker Award (GVFFS), Juror Award Nomination, Best Documentary Nomination (Lake International Film Festival) Nominee Pan African Youth and Arts Film Festival Award, Screencraft Fund Finalist, Shorts, Shorts & Shots Script Competition Winner
Labs: Global Shorts Doc Lab (2021), Comic Relief/Docubox EADFF documentary lab (2019), One World Media Lab and Fellowship(2018), Maisha Film Lab (2016), Docubox EADFF documentary development lab (2015),

https://www.filmandlaundry.com/

completed in 2021

A young woman with a disability wants to buy a vibrator from a sexologist during a friend’s bridal shower, but she must confront the other women at the party who believe that she is non-sexual because she uses a wheelchair; and so shouldn’t need a vibrator in the first place.