Film Africa 2026: Discover the Stories and Voices Shaping African Cinema

Film Africa returns from 23 October to 1 November 2026 with powerful stories from across Africa and its diasporas, and a major symposium celebrating African women in cinema.

From an award-winning Rwandan drama exploring reconciliation to a portrait of female friendship in contemporary Lagos, Film Africa’s 13th edition offers audiences a chance to discover African cinema in all its variety.

Film Africa is an annual celebration of African cinema presented by the Royal African Society – celebrating its 125-year anniversary – which brings together new voices, established filmmakers, and essential works.

This year puts the focus on the women shaping African cinema, featuring works from an exciting new generation of directors and filmmakers, as well as those whose work helped make that generation possible exploring the continent’s cinematic heritage alongside the filmmakers shaping its future.

Where to Experience Film Africa

BFI Southbank will host the festival’s opening and closing screenings, with events also taking place at some of London’s much-loved independent cinemas.

The venues include the Rio Cinema, The Lexi Cinema, Ebonylife Cinema, Ciné Lumière and Riverside Studios. Beyond the capital, audiences can experience the programme at Watershed in Bristol, Utopia Cinema in Sheffield and Plymouth Arts Cinema.

Together, these venues provide the setting for a festival that spans different generations, countries, languages and cinematic traditions.

BEN’IMANA: A Powerful tale from Rwanda

Opening at BFI Southbank on 23 October, Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo’s BEN’IMANA explores justice, reconciliation, memory and the complex process of rebuilding lives after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Set in Rwanda in 2012, the drama follows Vénéranda, a survivor who facilitates dialogue between victims and the families of perpetrators. Her commitment to reconciliation faces a profound test when she discovers that her daughter is unexpectedly pregnant, compelling her to confront the limits and contradictions of her own convictions.

BEN’IMANA won the Caméra d’Or at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, with Dusabejambo becoming the first Rwandan director to premiere a film in the Cannes Official Selection.

Its selection for opening night reflects Film Africa’s commitment to cinema that engages with difficult histories while revealing new perspectives on Africa and its contemporary realities.

LADY: Friendship, Survival and Independence in Lagos

The festival closes at BFI Southbank on 1 November with Olive Nwosu’s LADY, a vibrant and emotionally resonant exploration of female friendship, solidarity and survival in contemporary Lagos.

The film follows an independent young cab driver whose encounter with a collective of sex workers draws her into a new unexplored world. In the restless heart of the city, exuberance and freedom collide with violence and social exclusion. Through humour, tenderness and resilience, the women create a fragile sanctuary together.

Their relationships offer an intimate perspective on belonging, self-possession and liberation, while Nwosu captures the energy and contradictions of Lagos.

Born in Lagos and now based in London, the award-winning screenwriter and director is an important new voice in contemporary African cinema.

African Women and Cinema Take Centre Stage

Another highlight is TWENDE: African Women and Cinema, a symposium taking place at BFI Southbank on 24 October.

TWENDE takes its name from the Swahili phrase meaning “let’s go”. Bringing together filmmakers, producers, scholars, critics, and other leading practitioners, it will examine the evolving contribution of African women to cinema, both in front of and behind the camera.

The talks will explore authorship, production, representation, film history, preservation, and the future of African women’s cinema. Connecting generations is central to the event: it will recognise pioneering filmmakers whose contributions have too often been overlooked, while celebrating the new generation reshaping the industry.

Reflecting on where African women’s cinema has come from and where it is heading, TWENDE also captures the festival’s wider ambition to create a space for dialogue, discovery, memory, and exchange.

Discovering Africa’s Cinematic Heritage

At Ciné Lumière, a special screening and conversation will celebrate the work of Ferid Boughedir, the Tunisian filmmaker, critic, historian and scholar.

His pioneering documentaries Caméra d’Afrique and Caméra Arabe remain landmark works in the study of African and Arab cinemas. Both combine historical documentation with Boughedir’s distinctive critical perspective, offering audiences another way to engage with the cinematic heritage at the heart of this anniversary edition.

Across the wider programme, films will explore memory, migration, identity, labour, gender, political history and social change, with opportunities for audiences to hear from filmmakers themselves.

From the questions of memory and reconciliation raised by BEN’IMANA to the solidarity and resilience at the heart of LADY, the festival places African filmmakers and their distinctive perspectives at its centre. Its breadth reaffirms Film Africa’s role as a vital platform for African filmmaking in the UK.

Stella Okuzu FRSA, CEO and Director of the Royal African Society, says: “This year’s edition of Film Africa is where the past, present and future of African cinema meet. Through an extraordinary collection of films and archival material, carefully curated by our curator Keith Shiri and his team, we are celebrating Africa’s cinematic heritage while shining a spotlight on the bold, diverse and exciting future of African storytelling.”

Film Africa 2026 runs from 23 October to 1 November 2026. Further programme announcements, screening times, filmmaker appearances and ticket information will be announced shortly.