Wanuri KAHIU holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Warwick as well as a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California. She won the Motion Pictures of America Associates Award as well as the Hollywood Foreign Press Award for her student film Ama's Mama. From a Whisper (2008) won five awards at the African Movie Awards in Nigeria, including Best Director and Best Picture. Shortly after she completed a documentary about the life of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai entitled For Our Land (2009). In 2010, she completed an award-winning science-fiction short film Pumzi that was partially funded by Focus Features and the Goethe-Institut and screened at Sundance.