Gen Zs slowly carving space in film business

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

Before we begin, two things. Number one: I understand that since the political events of 2024 in Kenya, “Gen Z” has become a buzzword, so I will try to substitute it with young people. Number two: In Hollywood, a low/small budget is a film budget under $15 million, while a micro budget is under $250,000.

Now let’s get into it.

Have you ever had one of those random moments of clarity and realisation that either terrifies you or puts a smile on your face? Like, based on their behaviour on the road, it’s a boda boda country and we’re just tenants, or that if an alien were to observe Nairobi from above, they would think matatus are the apex predator in the region.

Recently I had one of those moments when I realised that three of my favourite films seen this year were all directed by young directors.

What was the lead-up to that realisation?

A week ago, D23 had just wrapped up, and if you are not in the loop, D23 is a Disney fan convention. It’s where they showcase big projects that are in production across the Disney empire, Star Wars (Lucasfilm), animated features, and of course Marvel.

Young casting

A lot of Marvel fans, including myself, were looking forward to Avengers: Doomsday news, I mean, that’s without a doubt the most anticipated film of the year. What we did not see coming was the announcement of the new X-Men cast.

Kevin Feige unveiled the core actors: Kit Connor (22) as Cyclops, Sadie Sink (24) as Jean Grey, Inde Navarrette (25) as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm, Christopher Abbott (40) as Professor X, Samara Weaving (34) as Emma Frost, and Adam Driver (42) as Mr Sinister.

Do you see it? The main team is noticeably young, Marvel heavily leaned into young talent.

So later that day I spent time looking up these actors, and in the process I came across an article about It Ends, a Micro-budget horror film that was picked up by Neon. What stands out is that it stars and is directed by young people. That was when I took a step back and had the moment of realisation that two of my favourite films globally, and one Kenyan, also came from young directors.

Before looking at Hollywood, let's examine home. We had MTV Mashariki that starred, was designed for, and targeted young people. But that had a reasonably good budget for a Kenyan production. Currently we have three big Kenyan films showing in the theatres: Tides, Anam’s Wake (with a young lead), and Memory of Princess Mumbi.

Let’s look at the last. Most of the chatter around Memory of Princess Mumbi focuses on how it was made partially using AI and how visually striking it is. Yes, it is one of the most ambitious, unique productions from the continent, but what people are glossing over is that it was written and directed by Damien Hauser, who was only 25 years old, and the main cast is comprised entirely of young actors.

I loved the film because it does not try to take the easy way out; the writer-director made something different using what he had at his disposal, technology. Now, does age have an impact on the final product? Well, yes and no.

Yes, because young people are tech-savvy, so getting around new tech is easy for them, and no because creativity has no age limit, I mean, look at James Cameron and what he is creating at his age.

Globally

Back in Hollywood, this same dynamic is growing, particularly in the horror space. We are seeing good low-budget films from young directors dominating at the box office.

Let’s start with Obsession, the dark psychological thriller directed by 26-year-old YouTuber Curry Barker. Starring Michael Johnston (30) and Inde Navarrette (25), the film was produced for roughly $1 million and went on a phenomenal run, grossing over £375 million globally.

But not just the money, standing on the technical aspects as a film, this is a good production with a good story and strong direction. The direction and story are so effective that the characters stay with you afterwards.

The next film is Backrooms, directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons. Parsons started out making viral liminal space horror videos on YouTube as a teenager before getting backed for a feature film. Produced on a lean budget of $10 million, Backrooms went on to gross $190 million worldwide.

The film’s technical elements and unique premise helped it become the phenomenon that it was. But what truly makes this a unique story is that Kane Parsons popularised liminal space horror using Blender, a free 3D programme. And even with the bigger budget, you can still see Parsons’ YouTube approach in the film.

Earlier, I mentioned It Ends, which is an upcoming existential road horror film written, directed and edited by 28-year-old Alexander Ullom.

Starring Phinehas Yoon (24), Akira Jackson (23), Noah Toth (22), and Mitchell Cole (24), the film was made on a micro-budget of just $80,000 before being picked up by Neon for a full theatrical release. And just judging from the trailers, the production value, even with a small budget, is there, and there is a clear sense of direction.

The last four years have seen young directors take bold steps to make their vision seen. I have been talking about the younger of the group, but there is also a group in their 30s who have been active in that trend of low-budget horror creators with YouTube foundations.

We saw a similar story play out with Iron Lung, directed by 36-year-old YouTube titan Mark Fischbach (Markiplier), who also starred in the lead role alongside Caroline Rose Kaplan. Operating completely outside the traditional studio system, Fischbach self-financed the sci-fi horror for roughly $4 million, only to watch it rocket to the top of the box office charts with $35 million in theatrical receipts.

We have also seen Australian brothers Danny (33) and Michael Philippou (33), known online as RackaRacka, start their mainstream film journey with Talk to Me, which had a budget of $4.5 million and made $95 million in its theatrical run, followed by their next horror, Bring Her Back.

Diversify

Watching young creators slowly and systematically claim their space behind the scenes outside the rigid studio framework is promising.

While I understand that making horror films is cheaper, my only hope is that they can step away from horror and experiment with other genres, like what Damien Hauser did with Memory of Princess Mumbi.

Reporting originally appeared via Business Daily. Read the full source for additional context.