Anga Panari Cinema celebrated its 10th anniversary last Friday, marking a decade since it first opened its doors in 2015. The milestone event brought together partners, customers, industry stakeholders, and media to commemorate the cinema’s journey from a new venue to one of Nairobi’s established entertainment destinations.
The cinema, located at Panari Hotel, has spent the past decade screening everything from Hollywood blockbusters to local Kenyan productions, becoming a fixture in the capital’s film exhibition landscape.
This milestone is not just about ten years of operation, it’s about ten years of storytelling, community, and growth,” said the Cinema Manager at Panari.
We are deeply grateful to our customers and partners who have walked this journey with us. Their support has made Anga Panari more than just a cinema; it’s become a cultural hub for connection and creativity.”
In an era when streaming services have made it possible to watch virtually any film from the comfort of a couch, cinemas like Anga Panari have had to justify their existence in ways previous generations never had to consider. Yet they persist, and for good reason.
There’s something about the cinema experience that streaming can’t replicate. The scale of the screen transforms visual storytelling; a sweeping landscape or an intimate close-up carries a different weight when it’s three stories tall. The sound system turns a film’s score into something you feel in your chest. The darkness removes distractions in a way that our living rooms, with their phones, conversations, and pause buttons, never can.
But perhaps more importantly, cinemas remain one of the few truly communal entertainment experiences we have left. Laughing at a comedy surrounded by strangers who are also laughing, or sitting in collective silence during a tense thriller, these are shared moments that create a different kind of connection to a film. You’re not just watching a story; you’re experiencing it alongside others, and that changes something fundamental about how we process what we see.
For Kenyan cinemas specifically, there’s an added dimension: they’re among the few places where local films can be experienced the way they were meant to be seen. A Kenyan story, told by Kenyan filmmakers, watched by a Kenyan audience in a Kenyan cinema, creates a feedback loop that streaming platforms, for all their reach, can’t quite capture.
As part of its anniversary celebrations, Anga Cinemas reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Kenyan filmmakers and innovating through themed screenings, brand collaborations, and community engagement programs.
The Panari location joins Anga’s other venue at Diamond Plaza 2 in Parklands, with both continuing to serve Nairobi’s film-going audience.
Anga Cinemas is one of Kenya’s premier cinema chains, focusing on delivering quality cinematic experiences across its two Nairobi locations.
