Kenyan documentary filmmaker Peter Murimi has received an invitation to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the body behind the Oscars.
In a statement issued on Thursday, June 25, 2026, the Academy said it extended invitations to 529 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves through their contributions to motion pictures. Murimi received one of the invites under the documentary branch, and the Academy cited his acclaimed works The Battle for Laikipia and I Am Samuel.
“We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists, and professionals to join the Academy,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in the statement.
Murimi accepted the invite and will now join the Academy’s voting membership and help determine Oscar nominees and winners.
“Guess who’s now a member of @TheAcademy? I’m thrilled to join the documentary branch and contribute to recognizing the best in our craft,” he tweeted Thursday.
The Academy also noted that the 2026 invitees include 95 Oscar nominees, 21 Oscar winners, and three recipients of Scientific and Technical Awards.
The recognition reflects a career that spans more than two decades and reaches well beyond the two documentaries highlighted by the Academy.
Murimi first won continental attention in 2004, when he received the CNN African Journalist of the Year Award for Walk to Womanhood, a documentary that examines female genital mutilation (FGM). Since then, he has worked across more than 30 African countries, producing documentaries and investigative films.
His portfolio includes The Baby Stealers, which investigates child trafficking and illegal adoption practices, as well as Slum Survivors, filmed in Nairobi’s Kibera informal settlement. I Am Samuel also earned widespread acclaim for its intimate storytelling, and it screened at major festivals, including Hot Docs, the BFI London Film Festival, and the Human Rights Watch Film Festival.
Meanwhile, The Battle for Laikipia premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it drew global interest in the land, climate, and conservation conflicts in Laikipia County.
Murimi joins a small but growing group of Kenyan creatives who have received invitations or recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu received an invitation in 2020, and Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has also been recognised. Award-winning animator Ng’endo Mukii joined the Academy’s animation branch in 2022, while veteran filmmaker Judy Kibinge received an invitation that same year.
According to the Academy, membership invitations go to individuals based on their professional achievements and contributions to the film industry.
