Entertainments
AFRIFF 2025 to Spotlight Afrobeats Film Movement, Launch Nigeria’s First Film and Content Market
Africa’s premier film festival returns with greater energy and innovation. The 14th edition of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) is set to captivate audiences once again with new ideas, global discussions, and powerful creative partnerships shaping the continent’s cinematic landscape.
Taking place from November 2nd to 8th, 2025, this year’s festival is themed “Rhythms of the Continent: The Afrobeats Film Movement.
Opening night will feature the premiere of “Three Cold Dishes,” directed by Oluseyi Asurf and executive produced by Burna Boy and Osas Ighodaro. The gripping film stars Osas Ighodaro, Wayidi Adeleke, Wale Ojo, Fat Toure, and Femi Jacobs, telling the story of three women who, after being trafficked as teenagers, reunite years later to exact revenge on their exploiters.
A major highlight of this year’s edition is the introduction of the AFRIFF Film and Content Market (AFCM)—Nigeria’s first and only film and content marketplace. This groundbreaking platform will serve as a structured business hub connecting filmmakers, distributors, buyers, and investors. It will promote content licensing, co-production deals, and global distribution partnerships, opening new commercial opportunities for African creative content.
The AFCM will host international media giants, studios, and institutions such as MTN, Goldfinch, SOOP, SPCINE, the Lagos State Government, and the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy (FMACCE). Their involvement underscores AFRIFF’s growing influence as a global hub for collaboration and industry growth.
> “AFRIFF has always been a bridge between creativity and opportunity,” said Chioma Ude, Founder and Executive Director of AFRIFF. “With the Afrobeats Film Movement and the launch of the AFRIFF Film and Content Market, we’re not just celebrating art—we’re building an ecosystem that empowers African creatives to own their stories, businesses, and global presence.”
Beyond film screenings, AFRIFF 2025 will feature industry sessions, masterclasses, and workshops designed to equip filmmakers with tools to thrive in today’s evolving media world. Discussions will explore international co-productions, content commissioning, film marketing, distribution, and financing.
The festival will climax with the AFRIFF Globe Awards, honoring excellence in African and diaspora cinema across categories such as directing, acting, screenwriting, animation, documentaries, and short films.
Over 100 films from Africa and the diaspora will be screened during the week, including the documentary “Afroculture: The Making,” which chronicles Flavour’s rise in the Afrobeats era and will serve as the festival’s closing film.
Blending business, education, and entertainment, AFRIFF 2025 promises to deliver a truly transformative experience for filmmakers, creatives, and audiences alike.
To participate, visit www.afriff.com to register.