The Road to the Oscars: Church Edit's Shannon C. Griffin on Editing One Woman One Bra

Oct. 15, 2026

Church editor Shannon C. Griffin reflects on editing One Woman One Bra, Kenya’s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.

Directed by Kenyan filmmaker Vincho Nchogu, the comedy-drama premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in 2025 before winning the Sutherland Award for Best First Feature at BFI London Film Festival. The film continued its success at the 2026 Tribeca Festival, where it received the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature and a Special Jury Mention in the Viewpoints competition for lead actress Sarah Karei. It also received Best International Film at the Mystic Film Festival and the 7th ACERCA Award of Spanish Cooperation at the Festival de Cine Africano.

Developed through Biennale College Cinema, One Woman One Bra follows Star, a fiercely independent, motorcycle-riding, 38-year-old unmarried woman living in rural Kenya. When her community is offered legal titles to their land, Star finds herself excluded because she cannot establish her family lineage. Her search for answers becomes a broader exploration of identity, autonomy, and belonging, balancing humor and vulnerability while questioning Western humanitarian aid and how African communities are represented.

• Inside the Edit with Shannon C. Griffin

For Shannon, who joined the project as her second feature film, the connection with director Vincho Nchogu was immediate.

“When Vincho told me about her script, One Woman One Bra, I was immediately drawn to the story and her perspective. I wanted to spend every day with Vincho, get inside her brain, and understand how she saw the film and the world. That was when I knew I had to edit it.”

 

With the Venice premiere already scheduled, Shannon received the footage in April 2025 and had only a few months to complete the cut.

One of the biggest challenges came during the first weeks of editing, when Shannon worked without direct translations of the film's Maa dialogue, relying instead on the actors' expressions and body language to shape the scenes.

“Surprisingly, very little changed once I received the translations.”

The instinctive approach helped preserve the film's distinctive balance of comedy, stillness and vulnerability. 

During the film's Tribeca run, American Cinema Editors also invited Shannon to participate in its Cutting to the Truth: Storytelling and the Art of Editing panel, where she shared insights into her creative process.

• The Oscars race

In September 2026, One Woman One Bra reached another milestone as Kenya's official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.

For Shannon, seeing the film connect with audiences around the world has been deeply meaningful.

“There are so many perspectives, communities, and stories we still haven’t seen on film, and One Woman One Bra reminded me how important it is to make space for them.”

 

From international festival recognition to the Academy Awards race, One Woman One Bra is a testament to the power of distinctive storytelling and creative collaboration, and to the importance of bringing new perspectives and untold stories to the screen.