The Ololokwe Movie Company is a filmmaking collective dedicated to telling stories that reveal the depth, diversity, and evolving dynamics of life across Africa.

We craft films that explore cultural heritage, conservation, and adventure, offering fresh perspectives on the relationships between people and place to expand localized narratives that drive meaningful change.

By uncovering the most compelling story within each subject, we bring these narratives to life in ways that resonate both locally and globally. Our team have produced films that have received global recognition, such as Searching for Amani, a Tribeca award-winning documentary exploring resilience and connection in times of change.

Chasing the Lion

Chasing the Lion is our current feature length documentary project nearing the final stages of post production. The film intertwines the personal journey of Muambi, a Kenyan/Norwegian Mountaineer with the broader themes of indigeneity, heritage, and the timeless bond between people and the land. At its core, the film explores how cultural and ancestral myths are not relics of the past but living narratives that shape identities and inspire new ways of engaging with the world. The film navigates the tension between outsiderness and acceptance, highlighting the power of cross-cultural exchange in bridging historical divides. Through the lens of climbing and outdoor exploration, Chasing the Lion considers how physical challenges become a means of personal and communal transformation. Shared experiences - such as climbing, storytelling, and ritual - become pathways to connection, revealing the complexities of heritage and raising the question: is identity something we inherit, or something we must continually redefine?

The Story

Growing up in rural Kenya, Peter Muambi Naituli was a child caught between worlds. As the son of a Kenyan father and Norwegian mother, his lighter skin made him a target in school, where he was labeled a “mzungu”, a foreigner, and subjected to relentless bullying. Isolated and struggling to find acceptance, Muambi channeled his pain into cultivating inner strength. This resilience eventually led him to the mountains, where he discovered alpinism and a tight-knit climbing community that welcomed him for his determination and spirit, regardless of his background.

By the age of 17, Muambi became the youngest technical guide on Mt. Kenya, scaling its formidable heights alongside Kenyan climbers who became his found family. But in 2020, tragedy struck when his mentor and climbing partner, Patrick Murithi, fell to his death on the mountain. The loss shattered Muambi’s sense of belonging, leaving him adrift and searching for meaning once more.

Chasing the Lion follows Muambi as he sets out to reconnect with his heritage, journeying into Northern Kenya; a landscape steeped in ancestral myth and scarred by the worst drought in 60 years. There, he forms bonds with the Samburu warriors, historic rivals of his native tribe, the Meru. The Samburu still live semi-nomadic lives echoing the ways of his ancestors. Through climbing and shared rituals, Muambi finds common ground with the Samburu, immersing himself in their customs and adopting a role within their warrior community.

The film draws on the legend of Muambi’s grandfather, the last Rainmaker of the Meru people, who once climbed sacred mountains to summon life-giving rains. This myth looms large over Muambi, casting his journey as more than personal; it feels like an inevitability, a fulfillment of an ancestral prophecy. As he sets his sights on free soloing the sheer 300-meter wall of Mt. Ololokwe, a mountain revered for its rain-bringing powers, Muambi’s climb becomes a symbolic act, intertwining his personal quest for belonging with his ancestral legacy.