The Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) will kick off its 9 days film festival today.
The 13th edition of the film festival which is slated to start from November 3rd to 9th, 2024, will be celebrating Africa’s rich cinematic heritage with the theme “Indigenous to Global: Cultural Wealth for Global Prosperity.”
Hosted at AFRIFF Hub, The Palms, Lagos, this year’s festival promises a landmark celebration of African storytelling, cinematic talent, and cultural pride.
The festival opens with Headless, a film entirely produced in Nigeria by director Michael W. Ndiomu and closes with the premiere of Obi Emelonye’s anticipated new film Out of Breath. These productions underscore AFRIFF’s commitment to spotlighting African narratives that resonate globally, connecting audiences to the depth of African artistry and heritage.
At a recent press conference, AFRIFF Founder, Chioma Ude highlighted the festival’s renewed focus on Nigerian and African stories:
“This year, we are emphasizing African talent and heritage, particularly our unique Nigerian flair. AFRIFF is all about celebrating who we are and showcasing the creativity and strength within our continent.”
Ude also emotionally announced AFRIFF’s intention to introduce the Herbert Wigwe Trailblazer Award, named in memory of Herbert Wigwe, a visionary in the Nigerian creative economy whose tremendous generosity to the festival and ardent support of the arts can never be underestimated nor forgotten.
”This award category will focus on celebrating Nigerians excelling in the creative fields, acknowledging Wigwe’s contributions to the growth of Africa’s cultural and creative industries. The inaugural recipients include Afreximbank President Benedict Oramah, founder of the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. These two awards will be presented by Honourable Hannatu Musa Musawa, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy at the opening gala and premiere. The other categories will include the trailblazer awards in Film, Music, Culinary Arts, Fashion and Tech”.
AFRIFF 2024 is themed into unique days that celebrate various aspects of African cinema and collaboration. “Herbert Day,” dedicated to Herbert Wigwe, will explore his impact on innovation and the intersections of art, technology, and education, especially within Nigeria’s creative economy. This year’s lineup also features notable guests like John Boyega, Nigerian British rapper Skepta, who will premiere his short film Tribal Mark as well as Swedish-Somali filmmaker Filson Ali. The festival will also be premiering highly anticipated films like Kunle Afolayan’s Recall, BasketMouth’s A Ghetto Love Story, while Showmax is expected to showcase their new original Princess on a Hill.
