ASU team films ‘AcroFutures’ documentary on Kenyan acrobats

Faculty and alumni from Arizona State University's Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts are collaborating on a documentary that highlights the artistry and resilience of Kenyan performers.

Janaki Cedanna, clinical associate professor in The Sidney Poitier New American Film School, has directed and edited “AcroFutures: The Struggle for Respect,” a feature-length film on the Diani Mambo Acrobats. The troupe, known for performances at resorts along Diani Beach, is featured as it seeks fair pay, artistic freedom and the creation of its own training and performance space.

Cedanna has spent the past two summers in Kenya documenting their journey.

“I feel that this film is an opportunity to shine a light on the injustices and challenges that Kenyan acrobats face on a daily basis,” Cedanna said. “These acrobats are professional athletes who are working to establish a training and performance center to pass on their knowledge to future generations. Acrobatics is part of Kenyan culture but is not widely recognized as a culturally significant art form. This film is a way to help bring attention to these artists, and it has been an honor to get to know them and support their efforts.”

The core project team includes Cedanna, producer Nina Berman — whose academic research at ASU informed the film — and producer Micha Espinosa, ASU professor emerita now at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They are joined by Galina Mihaleva, associate professor at ASU FIDM, who designed costumes that blend traditional and modern aesthetics, and School of Art alum Camille Misty-Schneider, who documented the production through photography.

Berman and Cedanna said the project was made possible in part by seed grants from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and the Humanities Institute and through support from Canon USA.

“Without Canon, the film could not have been made,” Cedanna said. “Canon USA has provided all cameras and lenses for the entirety of the filming, free of charge. It’s an in-kind show of support totaling $250,000 in these past two years. As part of a promotion agreement, they will also be sharing the project on social media this year, and then helping promote it once it is completed.”

Now in post-production, the film is slated for an early 2027 release in Kenya.