Photo credit: amplifyafrica (Instagram)
Jidenna is adding filmmaker to his growing creative résumé.
The Grammy-nominated Nigerian American artist has made his filmmaking debut with KITA, a stop-motion short film about an elderly Nigerian tech entrepreneur whose life changes after an unexpected friendship with a delivery robot.
The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival on September 17 as part of Beyond the Loop Season 2. It is now available to watch on YouTube.
Jidenna brings KITA to the screen
Jidenna wrote the story for KITA and also created the film’s score.
The project marks a new creative chapter for the artist, who has built his career through music while exploring fashion, culture and storytelling.
With KITA, Jidenna moves behind the camera to tell a story centered on technology and human connection.
The film takes place in a near-future city. At its center is an elderly Nigerian tech entrepreneur who forms an unexpected bond with a delivery robot.
Their relationship becomes the foundation for a story about loneliness, aging and community.
KITA explores loneliness and connection
Although technology plays a major role in the story, KITA is ultimately about people.
The film explores what happens when an unexpected relationship brings companionship into someone’s life.
Its themes include loneliness, dignity, aging and the need for human connection.
The delivery robot also gives the story a way to examine how technology can bring people together rather than simply replace human interaction.
That contrast gives KITA a thoughtful foundation beneath its futuristic setting.
Jidenna brings Nigerian identity to the story
The Nigerian connection is central to the film’s premise.
The main character is an elderly Nigerian tech entrepreneur, placing African identity within a futuristic world shaped by technology.
That perspective also connects with Jidenna’s own Nigerian heritage.
The artist has frequently incorporated African culture into his music, fashion and public image. With KITA, he brings that cultural perspective into filmmaking.
The result is a short film that combines Nigerian identity with science fiction, stop-motion animation and an emotional story about friendship.
KITA premiered at Tribeca
Jidenna’s filmmaking debut received its first major screening at the Tribeca Festival.
KITA premiered September 17 as the fifth film featured in the second season of Beyond the Loop.
The series highlights emerging filmmakers and stories that explore new ideas through short-form filmmaking.
For Jidenna, the Tribeca premiere provided an important introduction to his work as a filmmaker.
The film has since moved beyond the festival audience and is now available to watch online.
Jidenna expands his creative world
Jidenna has already established himself as a distinctive voice in music.
His breakout hit “Classic Man” earned him a Grammy nomination and helped introduce his blend of hip-hop, R&B and African influences to a global audience.
Now, he is expanding that creative vision into film.
By writing and scoring KITA, Jidenna has remained closely involved with the story from its beginning.
The project also shows how artists can use different creative formats to explore ideas that may not fit neatly into a song.
KITA is now available to watch
The Tribeca premiere marked the beginning of KITA’s journey as a film.
Now, audiences can watch Jidenna’s filmmaking debut on YouTube.
With its futuristic setting and unusual robot friendship, the film offers a fresh way to explore familiar questions about aging, loneliness and belonging.
For Jidenna, however, KITA represents something bigger.
It is the first short film in his journey as a filmmaker and another way for the artist to tell stories beyond music.
Source: Amplify Africa Instagram post and KITA / Beyond the Loop Season 2 festival information.
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