Searching for Amani: Kenyan Documentary Tackles Loss, Climate and Truth-Seeking

Searching for Amani

Searching for Amani isn’t just another documentary — it’s a story told from the inside, through the eyes of a thirteen-year-old aspiring journalist whose life is upended by tragedy. The film follows Simon Ali as he investigates his father’s suspicious death within one of Kenya’s largest wildlife conservancies, armed only with a camera and a growing sense of purpose.

What begins as a personal journey becomes a wider exploration of environmental stress, local conflict and the invisible forces reshaping rural Kenya. As drought tightens its grip and ecosystems strain under climate pressures, Simon’s search reveals layers of economic, social and environmental tension that go far beyond his own loss.

The project — directed by Nicole Gormley and Debra Aroko — first made waves on the festival circuit, including a screening at Tribeca, where audiences responded to its brave storytelling and emotional depth.  In weaving the personal with the political, Searching for Amani shifts the documentary format: it becomes both a coming-of-age story and a mirror reflecting challenges facing communities on the frontlines of climate change and social fragmentation.

For African cinema advocates and documentary storytellers alike, the film highlights two crucial trends: one, that deeply local stories can resonate globally; and two, that climate narratives increasingly intersect with everyday life in compelling ways.

At a time when African documentaries are asserting themselves on international stages, Searching for Amani is an example of how intimate storytelling — even from the perspective of a youth — can lead audiences to broader truths about place, loss and resilience.

Watch Searching for Amani,