The 15th Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) is underway in Lagos, bringing together filmmakers, industry professionals, sales agents and buyers for a week of African cinema and business activity. Now in its third day, the festival features 23 feature films within a wider selection of 135 titles, while its second Africa Film & Content Market (AFCM) runs alongside until 5 November.
The festival opened on 1 November with Lady, the debut feature by Nigerian director Olive Nwosu. The film follows a young taxi driver transporting sex workers through Lagos at night. The programme concludes with It’s the Blackness, directed by Hakeem Kae-Kazim, on 6 November, ahead of the Globe Awards on 7 November.
The feature selection spans several African film industries. Algerian director Ahmed Riad’s Hadda and Jide Okeke’s Which Way are among the titles screening on 3 November, following the 2 November screening of Ugandan director Maureen Jolly Nankya’s Slum Bomber.
South Africa is represented by Variations on a Theme, directed by Devon Delmar and Jason Jacobs, scheduled for 4 November. The film previously won a Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Also screening that day is Mabanda, directed by Kang Quintus. The Kenya-Nigeria co-production One Woman One Bra, from Vincho Nchogu, is scheduled for 6 November. Other Nigerian productions include Abeni and Her Daughters’ Mother, directed by Chinàzaēkpērē Chukwu.
This year’s edition also introduces ticketed screenings for the first time. However, the Obi Adada Foundation is covering ticket costs for attendees, allowing audiences to access the programme without paying for admission.
Running from 2 to 5 November at Twinwaters in Lekki, the AFCM is targeting 1,500 participants, more than double the over 700 who attended its inaugural edition in 2025. Delegations are expected from across Africa and beyond, including Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Sweden and the United States.
The market programme includes a focus on women in film on Wednesday, 4 November, followed by sessions on African productions and co-productions on Thursday, 5 November. These discussions and industry meetings are intended to connect filmmakers and production companies with potential partners, buyers and distributors.
For the African screen industry, the combined festival and market provide a platform to bring recent productions before international audiences while creating opportunities for co-production, financing and distribution discussions. The growing participation target also reflects AFRIFF’s ambition to strengthen its role as a meeting point for the continent’s film and content businesses.
