13-23 nov 2025
EN/NL
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Truck Mama

Truck Mama

Zipporah Nyaruri
Kenya, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands
2025
85 min
World Premiere
Luminous
Synopsis

“My family was shocked when they found out that I'm driving,” says Eva, a Kenyan woman, as she sits behind the wheel of a truck, heavily pregnant. She botched up her school years and was the only one in her family not to graduate. Pretty foolish, she admits in hindsight, but now she is glad to have chosen a profession she can be proud of. She sees more of the world than her brothers and sisters do.

Two years after the birth of her second child, she returns to the road, even though it’s sometimes a struggle for her to combine single parenthood with her work. The nanny is not always reliable. During the long drives, she keeps in touch with her son by mobile phone.

A combination of observational scenes and cinémavérité creates a multifaceted portrait of the vivacious Eva and a nuanced picture of the emotional dilemmas faced by many economically independent women. When her truck breaks down during a dangerous journey from Kenya to Sudan, Eva needs all the strength she can muster and is even forced to rethink her future.

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Credits
85 min
color
DCP
Spoken languages: English, Swahili
Director
    Zipporah Nyaruri
    Zipporah Nyaruri
Production
    Zipporah Nyaruri for Visual Asili Limited
    Zipporah Nyaruri for Visual Asili Limited
Co-production
    Portia Cele for MoonBow Productions
    Portia Cele for MoonBow Productions
Executive producer
    Ilja Roomans
    Ilja Roomans
Cinematography
    Richard Claus,
    Peggy Mbiyu,
    Zipporah Nyaruri
    Richard Claus,
    Peggy Mbiyu,
    Zipporah Nyaruri
Editing
    Jordana Berg,
    Sander Vos
    Jordana Berg,
    Sander Vos
Sound Design
    Adrian Lo
    Adrian Lo
Music
    Fons Beijer
    Fons Beijer
Screenplay
    Phil Jandaly,
    Ricardo Acosta
    Phil Jandaly,
    Ricardo Acosta
Screening copy
    Zippy Creatives
    Zippy Creatives
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