IMARA Film is a cinematic film and video production studio based in Malindi, Kenya. We create films, videos and photography for brands, hotels, weddings, events, artists and anyone with a story worth telling. We bring the same cinematic care to every project, regardless of its size.
IMARA is a Swahili word meaning strong, firm, and steady. It reflects how we approach every project: with consistency, commitment and a standard that doesn't bend.
It's our way of saying that a great film doesn't just document a moment. It gives it a shape you can return to. Something you can watch ten years from now and feel exactly what you felt then.
Malindi is home. It's where the founders of IMARA were born, where our families live, and where the studio was built. The light, the coast, and the mix of Swahili, Italian and Kenyan cultures shape how we see and how we work. It's not just a location. It's a point of view.
We shoot on Nikon|RED cinema cameras in 6K, the same format used in professional feature film production. Our full equipment roster includes camera, lens, lighting and audio systems from Nikon|RED, NIKKOR, Panasonic Lumix, Leica, Sony, Tamron, Sigma, DJI, Insta360, Godox, Sennheiser, Neumann, Shure, RØDE, Zoom and Apple: cinematic visuals with rich, detailed audio.
For wildlife photography and video, we carry telephoto lenses to 600mm: the SIGMA 150–600mm and the Nikon 180–600mm.
Post-production is handled in Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Studio for video editing and colour grading, and Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop for photography. Every project is delivered in all the formats you need.
We film a wide range of events: corporate gatherings, product launches, music festivals, cultural celebrations, sports competitions and private occasions. Every event gets the same cinematic discipline: proper coverage, clean audio and a final film that captures not just what happened, but how it felt.
Yes. IMARA Film offers professional drone filming and aerial cinematography across Kenya. Our drone pilot brings over 5 years of experience in aerial cinematography and operates across Malindi, Watamu and the Kenya Coast, and we travel nationwide for productions.
Aerial drone shots are available as part of our Hadithi and Imara packages, and can be added to custom projects. We use DJI professional drones for cinematic aerial video and photography, ideal for hotel and resort films, destination videos, weddings, events, tourism content and sport.
In areas where drone flights are restricted, such as near airports, national parks, safari reserves or crowds, we offer an alternative using the Insta360 X5 in 8K, which can produce dynamic, sweeping shots that replicate the aerial perspective of a drone. No permits, no restrictions, a similar cinematic result.
Full details in our Terms & Conditions →
Yes. We offer professional live streaming broadcast in Full HD 1080p, up to 12 hours continuous per day. Your event is streamed via Vimeo, delivering reliable, ad-free viewing with advanced privacy controls. No registration required for viewers. Access is shared via a personal link, easily sent by WhatsApp or any messaging service.
We can stream simultaneously to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and X. Dual-camera streaming with two angles is available, and every live stream is recorded for on-demand replay and download.
Full details in our Terms & Conditions →
Yes, and it comes free with photo and video. We can voice any film we deliver, in English, Swahili, Italian and German. Many other languages on request: send us the script the way you want it read. The voices are AI generated.
We direct tone, pacing and emotion the same way a director works with a voice actor, and we keep going until the take is right, so the result sounds human rather than read. Your film can speak Italian to Italian guests and Swahili to Kenyan ones, from the same shoot and the same budget. No booth, no second production.
For high-end productions we also book professional voice actors, male and female, in English, German, Italian and Swahili. We quote those per project.
How we use AI, in our Terms →
Yes. Weddings are one of our most personal services. As your wedding videographer and filmmaker, we treat every wedding as a cinematic film rather than just a recording. From the preparations to the ceremony to the celebration, we capture the emotion, the details and the moments that pass in seconds but deserve to last forever. We film weddings across Kenya, with a home base in Malindi and Watamu on the Kenya Coast. We also work as your engagement and couple photographer, with sessions on the beach or in the studio.
Yes. Portrait photography is a core part of what we do. Whether it's an individual portrait, a family session, an artist shoot or an editorial, our photographer in Malindi and Watamu brings the same cinematic eye to photography that we bring to film: careful light, considered composition and images that feel genuine rather than staged.
We work both on location across Malindi, Watamu and the Kenya Coast, and in our fully equipped photo studio. We take our time with every session so you can relax and get the best out of it. Our pricing is straightforward: you book the session, the shots are unlimited, and you choose the images we finish.
Yes. We offer professional business headshots for individuals, teams and companies, shot in our fully equipped studio or on location. Whether you need a single executive portrait or a full team shoot, we create clean, confident images that work across LinkedIn, websites, press and corporate materials. Same approach as all our photography: we take the time to get it right.
Yes, and we have been explicit about where it stops. In our films and photographs, AI completes and improves what we recorded. It does not invent what we did not record. We do not add people, objects or events that were not there.
That line is a choice, not a limitation. Most studios have not drawn one yet. Where a client wants more than that, we built a separate service for it.
imarafilm.ai
Not at IMARA Film. What we shoot is what was in front of the camera: we light it, grade it and retouch it, but we don’t reshape you. That’s the whole point of the work.
It is also a real request, and a common one, so we built a place for it. imarafilm.ai is our editing service. Send the pictures, ours or anyone’s, and say what you want changed. Same studio, same standard, a different job.
imarafilm.ai
Yes. IMARA Film has a fully equipped photo and video studio in Malindi. It's available for portrait photography, business headshots, product shoots, controlled lighting setups and small productions. For larger projects we work on location across Malindi, Watamu and the Kenya Coast, where the light and landscape speak for themselves.
Yes. We produce high-end real estate photography and video for residential and commercial property across Kenya. Whether it's a luxury villa on the Kenya Coast, a development in Nairobi, or a commercial listing anywhere in the country, we deliver images and footage that show the property at its best.
Our real estate work includes interior and exterior photography, cinematic property films, and aerial drone footage to give potential buyers or tenants a complete visual picture. Drone coverage is particularly effective for large plots, beachfront properties, and developments where scale and setting are a key part of the appeal.
Editing is AI-assisted. We remove clutter that is not part of the property: bins, cables, a parked car. We do not remove what is part of it. Damage, wear and the view from the windows stay in the picture.
How we use AI, in our Terms →
We work with property developers, estate agents, architects, and private sellers across Kenya. Get in touch to discuss your project.
Yes. We document wildlife with telephoto lenses to 600mm: the SIGMA 150–600mm and the Nikon 180–600mm. Safari, birdlife, marine wildlife and nature across Kenya, captured at distance without disturbing the subject.
We work in national parks, private conservancies, coastal environments and on safari. Wildlife footage integrates with our RED 6K cinematic workflow for documentary, tourism and conservation clients.
Yes, we travel. While our studio and home base is in Malindi on the Kenya Coast, we travel across Kenya for the right project. We have worked in Nairobi, Mombasa and along the coast, and we are available for productions nationwide. Travel costs outside Malindi and Watamu apply and are agreed upfront. No surprises.
Full details in our Terms & Conditions →
Just get in touch. We're easy to reach:
Tell us roughly what you have in mind, even if it's just an idea at this stage. We'll come back to you within 24 hours with an honest assessment of what's possible, a suggested approach and a quote. No commitment required at that stage.
Every project at IMARA Film includes direct collaboration with the team making your film. No middlemen, no handoffs. You get full post-production: editing, colour grading, sound design, AI voice-over in English, Swahili, Italian and German with many other languages on request, and delivery in all the formats you need. We respond within 24 hours, provide a clear quote upfront and stick to what we agreed from the start. No hidden costs, no surprises on the invoice.
Read our full Terms & Conditions →
Yes. IMARA Film Academy is our training arm in Malindi, taught by the people who shoot the work on this site, on the same cameras. Photography classes come first, then video: exposure, light and composition are learned once and used in both. Small groups, outdoors from day one.
Course list, dates and fees at imara.academy