Ngwatilo Mawiyoo made her debut as a writer/director with Joy's Garden (2020). A recipient of a Docubox (East Africa Film Fund) production grant, the film opened at Zanzibar International Film Festival, and received five nominations in Kenya’s national film and TV awards, the 2021 Kalasha Awards, including best original screenplay, best director, and best short film. Ngwatilo is an international multi-award nominated poet and the author of two poetry collections. She is a graduate of the University of British Columbia’s MFA in Creative Writing program, and currently lives in Nairobi.