Tribeca Film Festival 2025 Review: “Widow Champion”
By Morgan Roberts
Director: Zippy Kimundu
Runtime: 95 minutes
Year: 2025
Imagine you are recently widowed. Your in-laws (father-in-law, brother-in-law, nephews) now own the land you live on. And in a moments notice, they take it all away. This is the reality for countless women in Kenya, and explored in Zippy Kimundu’s latest documentary, “Widow Champion.”
The film follows Rodah, a widow who lost her home, after her in-laws demolished her house while she was at church. What followed was seven years of homelessness with her three children as she fought to reclaim her home. Through countless hours of mediation with the elders of her community, she was able to return to the land where she and her husband lived. After her own personal experience, Rodah began volunteering as a Widow Champion, a small group of women tirelessly working with widows and their families in hopes of reconciliation and restorative justice to bring peace and security to the women facing their next of kin stripping away their homes, uprooting their lives. The law of ‘widow inheritance’ was originally designed for widows to receive support from their extended family; in practice, it became a land grab, boiling down to systemic oppression based on gender.
Much of the film joins Rodah as she works with two widow: Mary and Theresa. Both women are at odds with their brothers-in-law, men who are threatening to kick the women out of their homes. Theresa and her brother-in-law have a particularly contentious relationship, with law enforcement occasionally being called. Meanwhile, Mary’s brother-in-law wants her to leave as he blame her for her husband’s death as her husband was HIV-positive. Kimundu and her editors were able to strike an important balance in the mediations and conversations had with and behalf of Mary and Theresa. Mediations usually take hours, can be several meetings before a resolution is found. Kimundu was able to dig deep on the sources of conflict, to shed light on this process that is so meaningful to Rodah. This is clearly a process Rodah deeply believes in, and Kimundu is able to provide just enough of a glimpse to the process, that you can understand why Rodah champions this, even with its imperfections.
But the work to be had is not always linear nor seamless. It is a truly honest depiction of the events and struggle these women endure. Moreover, we witness the toll it takes on Rodah. It is evident that Theresa and Mary are not her only clients. And further complicating Rodah’s work is her own fight for the title to her home. It is a marvel how Kimundu and her post-production team were able to take six, seven years of events to layout the scope and insidiousness of this reality.
While it is heartbreaking to bear witness to these fights, the film manages to find joy. “Widow Champion” is able to paint a portrait of community, especially amongst women, in such an earnest and beautiful way. Their resilience also makes them joyful. It is this focus on community that also makes the film so powerful. These realities are not just faced by women in Kenya, but other parts of Africa and the world. How we humanize this reality will also empower us to seek justice and reconciliation with all women encountering this type of oppression.
“Widow Champion” is a film which wears its heart on its sleeve. It is so deeply reflective of the systems of oppression Rodah and millions of women face, without devolving into complete despair. The humanity at the center of this film shines from its first frame, and never really fades, even in the most harrowing moments.
Grade: A
Pair This Film With: “An Eye for an Eye” (2025) dirs. Tanaz Eshaghian, Farzad Jafari; “No Other Land” (2024) dirs. Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra; “Seeds” (2025) dir. Brittany Shyne
For more about “Widow Champion,” you can visit the film’s Tribeca Film Festival page here.