Oscar-nominated Ugandan filmmaker and journalist Moses Bwayo will direct "Champions of Nowhere," a feature documentary following players in the Kakuma Football League at Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwestern Kenya.
The project will be produced by Bwayo's Los Angeles-based Jajja Productions and launches a three-film co-production agreement between Pierce Capital Entertainment, a film financing and production company based in Los Angeles and New York, and FilmCrew Media, the Munich production company founded by German filmmakers Kevin and Tobias "Toby" Schmutzler. The companies formalized the partnership during the Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2026.
Bwayo received an Academy Award nomination in 2024 for co-directing "Bobi Wine: The People's President," a documentary about Ugandan musician and opposition politician Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, known as Bobi Wine.
"Champions of Nowhere" will examine how football provides community, identity and opportunity for people living at Kakuma, which accommodates refugees from several African countries.
"The once-desolate semi-desert now basks in hope, identity, dignity and a fighting spirit that speaks the universal language of sports," Bwayo said. "This project offers a window into what sports and a fighting spirit can bring to a community."
FilmCrew previously produced the Kenya-set drama "Nawi: Dear Future Me," the country's submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards. Pierce Capital Entertainment's founder, Thomas Pierce, has executive-producing credits including "The Brutalist," "The Wizard of the Kremlin" and the forthcoming "Vegas: A Love Story."
The companies announced the agreement on 21 July 2026. The other two films covered by the partnership have yet to be disclosed.