Kalasha Awards

Kalasha Film & TV Awards
Current: 2020 Kalasha Awards
Awarded for Excellence in Television and Film
Country Kenya
Presented by Kenya Film Commission
First awarded June 2009
Website www.kalashaawards.co.ke

Kalasha Film & TV Awards is an annual accolade presented by Kenya Film Commission with a goal to recognize and celebrate achievers in Kenya's TV and film industry. Entries into the award ceremony are films and TV series that have been aired on Kenyan television stations. The inaugural awards were held in 2010 at the swanky Crowne Plaza in Upper Hill, Nairobi and subsequent awards are held yearly at the last quarter of the year at the same venue. The Awards would represent the five original branches of the Film making: Directors, Actors, Writers, Producers and Technicians. However, the Academy organizers will advise on whether or not to include more categories as long as they sufficiently represent the entire film industry.

Nominations and voting process

An academy, consisting of a jury of experts drawn from the industry oversees the nomination and final judging process. 30 per cent of the vote in Kalasha Awards is decided through a public vote while the jury decides on 70 per cent of the categories including the technical ones.

The Academy members are also tasked with advising the awards organisers on how to put out calls for entries and come up with a shortlist of nominees from the submissions received each year.

Categories

Awards

Television categories

  • Best TV Drama
  • Best TV Comedy
  • Best Lead Actor in TV drama
  • Best Lead Actress in a TV drama
  • Best Supporting Actor in TV drama
  • Best Supporting Actress in TV drama
  • Best Performance in TV Comedy
  • Best Host in TV Show
  • Best TV Documentary

Film categories

  • Best Lead Actor in a film
  • Best Lead Actress in a film
  • Best Supporting Actor in a film
  • Best Supporting Actress in a film
  • Best Documentary
  • Best Feature
  • Best Short Film
  • Best Director
  • Best Sound Designer
  • Best Original Score
  • Best Editor
  • Best Lighting Technician
  • Best Special Effects
  • Best Original Screen Play
  • Best Director of Photography
  • Best Production Designer
  • Best Local Language Film

Special accolades

  • Beast Feature by a student
  • Best Documentary by a student
  • Best Diaspora Production
  • Best Animation Production
  • Best Feature East

Kalasha Award for Best Lead Actress in Drama

Kalasha Award for Best Lead Actress
Awarded for Best performance by an actress in a leading role
First awarded 2009
Jackline Nyamide
Papa Shirandula
Currently held by 2020
Yasmin Said
Maria

The Kalasha Awards for best lead actress in drama is an accolade dedicated to the best performing actress in the previous year.

Year Actress TV series Ref(s)
2009 Jackline Nyamide Papa Shirandula
2010 Elizabeth Wanjiru Mother-in-Law
2011 Nice Githinji Changing Times
2012 Lucy Nyagah Lies that Bind
2014 Mkamzee Mwatela Mali
2015 Ambrose Riziki Pendo
2016 -
2017 Catherine Kamau Sue na Jonnie
2018 Diana Mulwa My Two Wives
2019 Nyce Wanjeri Ithaga Riene
2020 Yasmin Said Maria