Emma Mbeke Nzioka (Coco Em)

Emma Mbeke Nzioka is a talented filmmaker and DJ based in Nairobi, Kenya. She has made a name for herself in the creative industries through her exceptional work in film, music, and multimedia platforms. She is currently an artist-in-residence at the British Library as part of Resonations, supported by British Council.

As the current artistic director for the Norient Festival's 2024 edition, Nzioka is responsible for planning and overseeing the festival's artistic programming. She previously worked as the Norient Festival co-curator in 2023 and has maintained a close working relationship with the Norient family.

Nzioka also has experience as a content manager for SEMA, where she was responsible for planning and executing video content, coordinating the content team, and designing content in alignment with SEMA's communication strategy. She has also worked as a music educator, designing and delivering music production curriculum in line with Practice Based Learning (PBL) and providing mentorship and support to students completing final projects.

As a music producer, Nzioka has released several singles and an EP entitled "Kilumi". She self-produced and mixed a seven-track EP in collaboration with artists from the Santuri East Africa community, negotiated an EP release deal and album deal for 2023 with international record label 'Infine', and released singles with New York-based label Air Texture and a remix with Infine. Nzioka is also an accomplished DJ, signed to Earth Agency, and has performed professionally in over 27 different cities globally. She played her first European tour in 2022 and is gearing up for her second EU tour this year. She performed and curated Boiler Room in 2023 in Nairobi, played Afro-punk Joburg, Glastonbury, and recently played her Fabric London debut set.

As a filmmaker and cinematographer, Nzioka has delivered professional filmmaking services over the years and worked with both large and small crews in the industry. Her works include serving as the cinematographer for the documentary "No Simple Way Home" (2022), which received a nomination for Best Documentary at the African Movie Academy Awards (2022), Checkpoints Award nomination at Bergen International Film Festival (2022), Panorama Audience Award nomination at the Berlin International Film Festival (2022), and Golden Gate Award nomination at the San Francisco International Film Festival (2022). She was also the cinematographer for the feature film "Lusala" (2019), which received nominations at the Durban International Film Festival (2020), Kalasha International Film and TV Awards (2019), and won at Les Rimbaud du Cinéma (2020).