Sally Ngoiri: Telling climate stories that matter through film

For filmmaker Sally Ngoiri, storytelling has always been more than entertainment, but a tool that ignites a flame for change. A passionate climate justice defender, she holds on to the deep belief in the power of film to shape public discourse. Her niche lies in two areas, climate change and waste management.

This mission led her to the Green Media Accelerator (GMA) bootcamp, an initiative by three partners of the Consortium for Human Rights and Media (CHARM). Through Magamba Network, Fojo Institute and Wits Centre for Journalism, the bootcamp sought to empower media startups to tell climate change stories, by offering them mentorship and a startup grant to produce content for a media outlet. Sally saw an opportunity to sharpen her storytelling craft and amplify environmental narratives that often go unheard. Representing her production company, Kick Ass Films, Sally entered the accelerator with a bold idea: to explore the realities of waste management in Kenya and challenge the narratives around recycling.

“Part of our stories is looking at community-level innovations. For instance, we will highlight a fashion designer who transforms waste into runway-ready fashion, literally turning trash into treasure,” Sally Ngoiri, CEO, Kick Ass Films, shared.

Her documentary, supported by a GMA grant, will investigate critical questions:

How is waste really being handled in Kenya?

 Are companies following through on their recycling claims?

And what policies exist, or are they missing, to support genuine environmental solutions?

Apart from producing the film, she intends to take it for screening in different schools and in community halls, to spread awareness of the impact of climate change on society and in particular its link to Gender Based Violence (GBV).

“I am also keen in mentoring young women from the ages of 18- 25, since this is the age most careers are shaped, in film making. I have already had cohorts who undergo the trainings and are producing positive and well investigated stories,” said Sally Ngoiri, CEO, Kick Ass Films.

Sally’s commitment to climate storytelling goes far beyond one project. She’s already created The Greenhouse, a Showmax documentary that follows a Kenyan family’s battle to save their ancestral forest land. She is also developing Waste Land, a documentary exploring waste management and sustainability, and Wild at Heart, a VR film that examines the ethical complexities of wildlife rehabilitation.

“Wasteland follows Janet Chemitei, a bold fashion entrepreneur in Eldoret who transforms discarded clothes into high-fashion pieces, and a local innovator turning plastic waste into durable building bricks. As Janet reclaims dumped fast fashion to tell stories of identity and resistance, her counterpart reimagines plastic pollution as the foundation for a more sustainable future. Together, their journeys reveal a powerful narrative of creativity, resilience, and circular economy—where what is thrown away is not the end, but the beginning of something beautiful and enduring,” said Sally Ngoiri, CEO, Kick Ass Films.

Her work is a powerful reminder: when it comes to changing hearts and minds, a good story, told well, can be one of the most effective tools we have.

Read more: Filmmaker Sally Ngoiri using her camera to spotlight climate justice in Kenya

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