AFRIFF, One of the Best International Film Festivals in Africa
The Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) is a premier annual event in Lagos, Nigeria, celebrating African and diasporic cinema. Founded in 2010 by Chioma Ude, it hosts high-profile film screenings, industry masterclasses, and talent development programs. It also features the AFRIFF Film & Content Market (AFCM) to boost content licensing, co-productions, and distribution.
The Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), in partnership with The Walt Disney Company and FilmOne Entertainment, hosted the historic African premiere of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" in Lagos, Nigeria. The highly anticipated Marvel Studios sequel debuted on the continent ahead of its global cinematic release in November 2022.
The star-studded event brought the film's cast, filmmakers, and global industry stakeholders to Lagos. It was widely celebrated as a monumental milestone for African entertainment, helping bridge the gap between global film industries.
In 2026, AFRIFF became the first African film festival selected for the Goes To Cannes of the Marché du Film (Cannes Film Market) program of the annual Cannes Film Festival in France.
Curating a dedicated "Goes to Cannes" showcase, the festival highlighted the growing global influence of African cinema.
As the official representative for Lagos, Nigeria, AFRIFF secured a highly visible platform at the Palais des Festivals.
Key Information and Upcoming Dates
Event Dates:
The festival typically takes place in early November.
Location:
Lagos, Nigeria (with multiple venues across the city).
Core Activities:
Film Screenings: Showcasing feature films, documentaries, shorts, animations, and student works.
AFRIFF Globe Awards:
The closing-week ceremony honoring artistic excellence across various cinematic categories.
AFRIFF Academy:
A capacity-building initiative that trains young filmmakers and facilitates sponsorships to international film schools.
AFRIFF Film & Content Market (AFCM):
A dedicated marketplace for creators, studios, and financiers to trade and collaborate.
To apply for accreditation for “3 Days in Cannes”, you must:
be aged between 18 and 28
be passionate about film
NEXT STEPS
Applications must be submitted online via the accreditation portal (no applications will be processed by telephone).
Documents to be provided with the application form
ID document (both sides) or passport
ID photo
A love letter to cinema (if you already took part in the Program, please provide a letter different from the previous year telling us about your experience)
Once the accreditation request has been accepted, you will be sent an email (no answer will be given by phone).
Named badges with a photo ID and the programme of dedicated sessions can be collected from the Accreditation Office of the Palais des Festivals.
To fill or consult your application, please use the online portal
African Filmmakers Who Have Won the Palme d'Or, Grand Prix, Jury Prize and other Prizes at the Cannes Film Festival
The first and only African film so far to win the Palme d'Or was “Chronicle of the Years of Fire”, 1975 by Algerian Filmmaker, Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina.
The film, a three-hour saga dramatized the socio-political conditions leading up to the 1954 Algerian War of Independence against French colonial rule. It remains a landmark moment as the only African and Arab production to win the prize.
Another African from Tunisia also won the Palme d'Or, Abdellatif Kechiche, regarded as Tunisian-French. His romantic drama "Blue Is the Warmest Colour" won the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. But it is a French film and not an African film.
Mati Diop (Senegal/France): Made history in 2019 by becoming the first Black woman to have a film in the main competition, where she won the Grand Prix (the festival's second-most prestigious award) for her haunting drama Atlantics.
Idrissa Ouédraogo (Burkina Faso): Won the Grand Prix in 1990 for his critically acclaimed feature film Tilaï (The Law), which explores the clash between strict tribal traditions and personal desires.
Souleymane Cissé (Mali): Captured the Jury Prize (the third-highest honor) in 1987 for Yeelen (Brightness), a visually striking fantasy film rooted in Bambara mythology.
Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Chad): Awarded the Jury Prize in 2010 for his moving father-son drama A Screaming Man (Un homme qui crie).
And his 2013 film "Grigris" was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festiva
South African films have also competed at the Cannes and Elaine Proctor's "Friends" won the Caméra d'Or at the1993 Cannes Film Festival.
The following African films have won the top prizes in the Un Certain Regard.
"A Thousand Months" (Mille mois) by Faouzi Bensaidi of Morocco won Prix le Premier Regard in 2003.
"Moolaadé" by the Father of African Cinema, Ousmane Sembène of Senegal won the Prix Un Certain Regard in 2004.
"Delwende" by S. Pierre Yameogo of Burkina Faso won the Prix de L'espoir in 2005.
See the African Filmmakers in the Diaspora who have won Palme d’Or and other prizes at the Cannes Film Festival on https://lnkd.in/eDpzGY_Q
Photos:
Mohamed Lakhdar-Hamina, Palme d’or – Chronique des années de braise – Ann Margret
.https://lnkd.in/eyE5WamJ
Mati Diop (Senegal/France): Made history in 2019 became the first Black woman to have a film in the main competition, where she won the Grand Prix (the festival's second-most prestigious award) for her haunting drama "Atlantics".
The 79th Cannes Film Festival is taking place in Cannes, France, from May 12 to 23, 2026. A major highlight of this year’s edition is the Jury President, South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook. The festival opened with French director Pierre Salvadori's film The Electric Kiss.
Here is a quick glance at key details for the 2026 event:
Official Poster: Designed by Hartland Villa, featuring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis on the set of Thelma & Louise. Opening Ceremony Host: French actress Eye Haïdara. Main Jury: Chaired by Park Chan-wook, with prominent members including actress Demi Moore.
Opening Film: The Electric Kiss. Honorary Palmes d'Or: Awarded to Peter Jackson, John Travolta, and Barbra Streisand.
The films of the Official Selection 2026 - Festival de Cannes
IN COMPETITION
Opening film:
THE ELECTRIC KISS by Pierre SALVADORI – Out of Competition
AMARGA NAVIDAD by Pedro ALMODÓVAR
A WOMAN’S LIFE by Charline BOURGEOIS-TACQUET
LA BOLA NEGRA by Javier CALVO & Javier AMBROSSI
COWARD by Lukas DHONT
PARALLEL TALES by Asghar FARHADI
PAPER TIGER by James GRAY
DAS GETRÄUMTE ABENTEUER by Valeska GRISEBACH (THE DREAMED ADVENTURE)
ALL OF A SUDDEN by HAMAGUCHI Ryusuke
THE UNKNOWN by Arthur HARARI
ANOTHER DAY by Jeanne HERRY
SHEEP IN THE BOX by KOREEDA Hirokazu
HOPE by NA Hong-jin
NAGI NOTES by FUKADA Koji
GENTLE MONSTER by Marie KREUTZER
A MAN OF HIS TIME by Emmanuel MARRE
FJORD by Cristian MUNGIU
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY by Léa MYSIUS
MOULIN by László NEMES
FATHERLAND by Paweł PAWLIKOWSKI
THE MAN I LOVE by Ira SACHS
EL SER QUERIDO by Rodrigo SOROGOYEN (THE BELOVED)
MINOTAUR by Andreï ZVYAGINTSEV
UN CERTAIN REGARD
Opening film:
TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA by Jane SCHOENBRUN
ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG by Abinash BIKRAM SHAH | 1st film
IRON BOY by Louis CLICHY
BEN’IMANA by Marie-Clémentine DUSABEJAMBO | 1st film
CONGO BOY by Rafiki FARIALA
CLUB KID by Jordan FIRSTMAN | 1st film
A GIRL’S STORY by Judith GODRÈCHE
UĻA by Viesturs KAIRIŠS
TITANIC OCEAN by Konstantina KOTZAMANI | 1st film
LA MÁS DULCE by Laïla MARRAKCHI (STRAWBERRIES)
EL DESHIELO by Manuela MARTELLI (THE MELTDOWN)
SIEMPRE SOY TU ANIMAL MATERNO by Valentina MAUREL (FOREVER YOUR MATERNAL ANIMAL)
YESTERDAY THE EYE DIDN’T SLEEP by Rakan MAYASI | 1st film
I’LL BE GONE IN JUNE by Katharina RIVILIS | 1st film
WORDS OF LOVE by Rudi ROSENBERG
EVERYTIME by Sandra WOLLNER
VICTORIAN PSYCHO by Zachary WIGON
ALL THE LOVERS IN THE NIGHT by SODE Yukiko
ULYSSE by Laetitia MASSON Closing film of Un Certain Regard
OUT OF COMPETITION
LA BATAILLE DE GAULLE : L’ÂGE DE FER by Antonin BAUDRY
KARMA by Guillaume CANET
DIAMOND by Andy GARCIA
FORSAKEN by Vincent GARENQ
CRESCENDO by Agnès JAOUI
HER PRIVATE HELL by Nicolas WINDING REFN
MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
FULL PHIL by Quentin DUPIEUX
SPECIES by Marion LE CORROLLER | 1st film
ROMA ELASTICA by Bertrand MANDICO
JIM QUEEN by Marco NGUYEN & Nicolas ATHANÉ | 1st film
GUN-CHE by YEON Sang-ho (COLONY)
CANNES PREMIERE
LA TROISIÈME NUIT by Daniel AUTEUIL
THE MATCH by Juan CABRAL & Santiago FRANCO
MARIE MADELEINE by Géssica GÉNÉUS
AQUÍ by Tiago GUEDES
ORANGE-FLAVOURED WEDDING by Christophe HONORÉ
KOKUROJO by KUROSAWA Kiyoshi (THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER)
THE END OF IT by Maria MARTÍNEZ BAYONA | 1st film
THINK GOOD by Géraldine NAKACHE
HEIMSUCHUNG by Volker SCHLÖNDORFF (VISITATION)
PROPELLER ONE-WAY NIGHT COACH by John TRAVOLTA | 1st film
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
REHEARSALS FOR A REVOLUTION by Pegah AHANGARANI | 1st film
LES MATINS MERVEILLEUX by Avril BESSON | 1st film
L’AFFAIRE MARIE-CLAIRE by Lauriane ESCAFFRE & Yvo MULLER
AVEDON by Ron HOWARD
VESNA by Rostislav KIRPIČENKO | 1st film
ASHES by Diego LUNA
TANGLES by Leah NELSON | 1st film
LES SURVIVANTS DU CHE by Christophe Dimitri RÉVEILLE | 1st film
LE TRIANGLE D’OR by Hélène ROSSELET-RUIZ | 1st film
JOHN LENNON : THE LAST INTERVIEW by Steven SODERBERGH
GROUNDSWELL by Josh TICKELL & Rebecca TICKELL
CANTONA by David TRYHORN & Ben NICHOLAS
FAMILY SCREENING
LUCY LOST by Olivier CLERT | 1st film
CLARISSA, From The Esiri Twin - Brothers of Nigeria
Clarissa is the first Nigerian film to be selected for the annual Directors’ Fortnight and among the 19 international films selected for the 58th edition of the Directors’ Fortnight alongside the main 79th annual Cannes Film Festival taking place from 12 to 23 May 2026.
Premiere Date: May 16, 2026
Details on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarissa_(2026_film)#:~:text=Neon-,Release,-date
During the festival, two Honorary Palme d'Or were awarded: the first was awarded to Robert De Niro during the festival's opening ceremony and the second was awarded on short notice to Denzel Washington before the world premiere ofHighest 2 Lowest.
Complete List of Winners at the 78th Festival de Cannes
Jafar PANAHI won the highly coveted Palme d'Or for his film "UN SIMPLE ACCIDENT".
Jury
Documentarist and producer Dieudo Hamadi, Korean director and screenwriter Hong Sangsoo, Mexican director, screenwriter and producer Carlos Reygadas and American actor Jeremy Strong, presented its winners’ list among the 22 films presented in Competition this year.
Feature Films
Palme d’or UN SIMPLE ACCIDENT Jafar PANAHI
Grand Prix AFFEKSJONSVERDI (SENTIMENTAL VALUE) Joachim TRIER
Joint Jury Prize SIRÂT Oliver LAXE
SOUND OF FALLING Mascha SCHILINSKI
Best Director Kleber MENDONÇA FILHO for O AGENTE SECRETO (THE SECRET AGENT)
Best Screenplay Jean-Pierre DARDENNE & Luc DARDENNE for JEUNES MÈRES
Best performance by an actress Nadia MELLITI in LA PETITE DERNIÈRE directed by Hafsia HERZI
Best performance by an actor Wagner MOURA in O AGENTE SECRETO (THE SECRET AGENT) directed by Kleber MENDONÇA FILHO
Special Award KUANG YE SHI DAI (RESURRECTION)
Bi GAN
Short Films
Palme d’or I’M GLAD YOU’RE DEAD NOW Tawfeek BARHOM
Special Mention ALI Adnan AL RAJEEV
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard Prize LA MISTERIOSA MIRADA DEL FLAMENCO (THE MYSTERIOUS GAZE OF THE FLAMINGO) Diego CÉSPEDES 1st film
Jury Prize UN POETA (A POET) Simón MESA SOTO
Best Directing Arab & Tarzan NASSER for Once Upon a Time in Gaza
Best Actor Frank DILLANE in Urchin directed by Harris Dickinson
Best Actress Cleo DIÁRA in O Riso e a Faca (I Only Rest in the Storm) directed by Pedro Pinho
Best Screenplay PILLION Harry LIGHTON 1st film
Caméra d’or Caméra d’or Prize THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE Hasan HADI Directors’ Fortnight
Special Mention MY FATHER’S SHADOW Akinola DAVIES JR Un Certain Regard
La Cinef First Prize FIRST SUMMER Heo GAYOUNG KAFA, South Korea
Second Prize 12 MOMENTS BEFORE THE FLAG-RAISING CEREMONY QU Zhizheng Beijing Film Academy, China
Joint Third Prize GINGER BOY Miki TANAKA ENBU Seminar, Japan
WINTER IN MARCH Natalia MIRZOYAN Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonia
Superior Technical Commission
THE CST AWARD FOR BEST ARTIST-TECHNICIAN is presented to Ruben Impens, director of photography, and Stéphane Thiébaut, mixer of ALPHA, directed by Julia Ducournau
The 2025 jury of the CST Award for best Artist-Technician acknowledges the powerful creativity of sound and image in this film, achieved by Ruben Impens, director of photography and Stéphane Thiébaut, mixer, of Alpha directed by Julia Ducournau.
THE CST AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG FEMALE FILM TECHNICIAN is presented to Éponine Momenceau, Director of photography of CONNEMARA, directed by Alex Lutz
The 2025 jury of the CST Award for best Young, Female Film Technician is proud to present this year’s prize to Éponine Momenceau, director of photography of Connemara directed by Alex Lutz, for the delicacy and subtlety of the work on the images that accompany the film’s story and direction
"Dahomey" is More Important to Me than "Emilia Pérez"
I have ignored posting on the nominees for the 97th Academy Awards, because I was disappointed that Mati Diop's critically acclaimed multiple award winning documentary film, "Dahomey" was not included among the nominees after it was shortlisted for the Best Documentary Feature category and the Best International Feature Film category.
This is the second time that her award winning film has not made the nominees after winning a highly coveted award at one of the Big Five international film festivals in the world.
She won the Grand Prix at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival for her feature film debut, "Atlantics" and was the entry of Senegal for the Best International Feature Film category of the 2019 Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. And her second feature film, "Dahomey" that won the Golden Bear at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival and the entry of Senegal for the Best International Feature Film category was not nominated.
The most likely predicted winner is of course, Jacques Audiard's controversial musical romantic crime drama, "Emilia Pérez" with the record of 13 nominations, the highest number for the 97th Academy Awards to be held on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. But I doubt if the film can win up to five Oscars.
I don't know how the nominees are chosen, because the judges and specific criteria are not known to the public, except the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) whose membership of the academy is based more on being recommended than on the merit of professional criteria. So, membership can be influenced by the familiarity with influential members of AMPAS.
The content and context of "Dahomey" as an anticolonial historical film on repatriation have a more universal theme than a romantic crime thriller of sexual orientation and personal insecurities and sentiments.
It will be better and more meritorious if the winners of the highly esteemed critically juried Palme 'Or and Grand Prix of the Cannes Film Festival; Golden Bear of the Berlin International Film Festival or Berlinale; Golden Lion of Venice Film Festival; People's Choice Award and the FIPRESCI Prize, or International Film Critics Awardt at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the Grand Jury Prize Dramatic, Directing Award Dramatic, Grand Jury Prize Documentary and Directing Award Documentary at Sundance Film Festival qualify for the nominations for the annual Academy Awards.
I agree with the following statement by Tim Dirks, editor of AMC's Filmsite, has written of the Academy Awards:
Unfortunately, the critical worth, artistic vision, cultural influence and innovative qualities of many films are not given the same voting weight. Especially since the 1980s, moneymaking "formula-made" blockbusters with glossy production values have often been crowd-pleasing titans (and Best Picture winners), but they haven't necessarily been great films with depth or critical acclaim by any measure"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awards
-;By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, Founder, Publisher and Editor, NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series, The first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry distributed by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.
The Road Map for the Nominations for the Annual Academy Awards for Nigerian Filmmakers
There is a Road Map for the Nominations for the annual Academy Awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and the route is common knowledge to those who truly know the criteria for filmmaking of international standards in the quality of the content and context of filmmaking and the benchmarks of the most coveted international awards and prizes for filmmaking.
Making the nominations for the almighty Oscars from the long list to the short list is beyond the mere selections of the official entries for different countries in the competition for the Best International Feature Film Category of the Academy Awards which is the most competitive, because of the challenges of competing with the best filmmakers from other countries you may not know their works.
In my own opinion, any film that has not made the Official Selections for the annual Cannes Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival should not be the official selection of Nigeria for the Best International Feature Film Category of the Academy Awards. Because in the history of the Oscars,most of the nominees and winners were in the Official Selections of the most highly esteemed and highest ranking international film festivals as I have listed them above. And only the majority of them that won the Palme d'Or of the Cannes Film Festival, Golden Lion and Silver Lion of the Venice International Film Festival, Audience Award of the Toronto International Film Festival, Golden or Silver Bear of the Berlin International Film Festival and Best Feature Film at the Sundance Film Festival made the nominees and winners of the Oscars.
Any Nigerian filmmaker who cannot or has not competed for the best international awards in the global film industry should not be considered for the representation of the Official Selection of the entry for the Best International Feature Film Category of the Oscars.
Only the best should represent Nigeria, because only the best is good enough for us.
Nigerian filmmakers have not even won the prizes for the Best Feature Film at the annual Durban International Film Festival of South Africa, the highest ranking international film festival in Africa and only one Nigerian filmmaker, Newton Aduaka has won the Étalon d'or de Yennenga" (Golden Stallion of Yennenga) at the Ouagadougou Panafrican Film and Television Festival (FESPACO) for his critically acclaimed film, "Ezra" in 2007.
The problem of Nigerian filmmakers is the fact that they don't like being told the truth and when you tell them the truth, they become upset and even stop communicating with you in their unprofessional and unintellectual attitudes. But the fact is majority of them don't even know that filmmaking is not for those who are intellectually challenged, because the Art of Filmmaking is beyond the mere craft of shooting a movie.
Majority of the filmmakers in Nigeria don't know what is Art Direction and many of them have not studied Production Design.
Many of them don't know what is the aspect ratio of a movie for the cinema and most of them don't know what is a shooting ratio.
They don't even know how to use lighting for storytelling; costume for storytelling; the nuances of
characterisation and music for storytelling in filmmaking.
I have advised the film schools in Nigeria to use nominees and winners of the Oscars for case studies in filmmaking to teach their students on how and why the nominees and winners got the nominations and won the Oscars.
The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) for the Oscars should know that to make the nominations for the Oscars is more than the mere selection of the official entry.
Is there a budget for the promotion of the selected film?
Promotion for reviews in the highly esteemed and rated international news media such as the New York Times, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood, Indiewire, Screen International, CNN, BBC and Underurrents of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI)
Read How Much Does It Cost To Win An Oscar? - BBC News
Just two of the most high-profile attempts to influence what must be the most select group of voters on the planet, the 6,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Estimates for the total amount Hollywood spends on Oscar campaigns range from $100m right up to $500m in a single year.23 Feb 2016
2024 Cannes Film Festival: Winner of the Palme d'Or the Other Winners
77th EDITION
May 14-25, 2024
Palme d’Or
ANORA
Directed by : Sean BAKER
Year of production: 2024
Country: United States
Duration: 138
"Anora, a young sex worker from
Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled."
https://www.festival-cannes.com/f/anora/#
Grand Prix
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
Payal Kapadia
Jury Prize
EMILIA PÉREZ
Jacques Audiard
Best Director
MIGUEL GOMES
for Grand Tour
Special Award
MOHAMMAD RASOULOF
for The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Exiled Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof was given a Special Prize for The Seed of the Sacred Fig.
Best Performance by an Actor
JESSE PLEMONS
in Kinds of Kindness directed by Yórgos Lánthimos
Best Performance by an Actress
ADRIANA PAZ
in Emilia Pérez directed by Jacques Audiard
ZOE SALDAÑA
in Emilia Pérez directed by Jacques Audiard
KARLA SOFÍA GASCÓN
in Emilia Pérez directed by Jacques Audiard
SELENA GOMEZ
in Emilia Pérez directed by Jacques Audiard
Best Screenplay
THE SUBSTANCE
Coralie Fargeat
Short Films
Palme d’or
THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT
Nebojša Slijepčević
Special Mention
BAD FOR A MOMENT
Daniel Soares
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard Prize
BLACK DOG
by Guan Hu
Jury Prize
L’HISTOIRE DE SOULEYMANE
by Boris Lojkine
Best Director Prize ex-aequo
ROBERTO MINERVINI
for The Damned
RUNGANO NYONI
for On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Best Performance by an Actress
ANASUYA SENGUPTA
in The Shameless
Best Performance by an Actor
ABOU SANGARÉ
in L’Histoire de Souleymane
Youth Award
HOLY COW
by Louise Courvoisier
1st film
Special Mention
NORAH
by Tawfik Alzaidi
1st film
Caméra d’or
ARMAND
Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel
Un Certain Regard
Special Mention
MONGREL
Wei Liang Chiang & You Qiao Yin
La Cinef
First Prize
SUNFLOWERS WERE THE FIRST ONES TO KNOW…
Chidananda S Naik
Joint Second Prize
OUT THE WINDOW THROUGH THE WALL
Asya Segalovich
THE CHAOS SHE LEFT BEHIND
Nikos Kolioukos
Third Prize
BUNNYHOOD
Mansi Maheshwari
Meet the 77th Festival winners - Festival de Cannes
A breathtaking masterpiece of storytelling in motion picture.
"Breath of Life" is a period drama set in Ibadan in the 1950s. It is about "Timi", a gifted clergyman who turns into an "old lonely curmudgeon when his family is tragically taken from him. Until Elijah, a humble man with big dreams of becoming a priest, comes into his life. Through Elijah, Timi not only learns to live again, but also realizes purpose for all his gifts and wealth."
The Oscar performance of Wale Ojo as "Timi" has proven that he is indeed more than an actor of actors, but also an auteur of genius in his excellent interpretation of one of the greatest portraits of unique and unforgettable characters in Nigerian drama.
No other actor in Nollywood would have been able to play a better challenging role of such an iconic character of "Timi" as Wale Ojo did exceptionally well.
He is among the best actors in the world in the same class with Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins of Hollywood for his mastery of being absorbed in the personality of every character he has played the leading role in different movies. This is a rare accomplishment among actors in Nigeria, because only few of them have such command in characterization and intellectual depth.
Overall, in concise and precise analysis, the "Breath of Life" is a breathtaking cinematic drama of intellectual and spiritual insights on the triumph of faith, love and the human spirit in the conquest of the existential realities of life in the world. The survival, triumph and victory of the human spirit in the vicissitudes of the trials of life.
The director, producer, cinematographer, screenwriter, composer of the soundtracks and production designer have made a film that will become one of the timeless classics of filmmaking in Nigeria. "Breath of Life" is more than the typical Nollywood movie. It is a beautiful story in motion picture that will resonate with people in different societies in the world, because it is a universal journey of discovery of the true essence of human existence on Earth.
It would be more appreciated dubbed in other languages for the rest of the world to share in the beauty of this drama of the worth of every breath of life.
"Breath of Life" is one of the best films of the year and the kind of Nigerian film that should have been in the Official Selection of the annual Cannes Film Festival in competition for the Palme d'Or.
Principal cast:
Wale Ojo, Bimbo Manuel, Sam Dede, Tina Mba, Sambasa Nzeribe, Genoveva Umeh, Chimezie Imo, Demola Adedoyin, Melly Atari and others.
Produced by
Eku Edewor and Aderinola Adeyokunnu.
Written and directed by BB Sasore, Ola Cardoso is the Director of Photography and Kelechi Odu is the Creative Director.
A must on the watchlist of everyone who loves great movies.
- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Publisher/Editor,
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series,
The first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry since 2013, printed in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America and distributed by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers in paperback, hardcopy and Amazon Kindle.
Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman, Anikulapo and the Obsession for Netflix in Nollywood
Planning is everything and everything is planning in achieving our goals in our occupations and professions.
Nobody is too big, too high or too old to learn.
The films, ‘Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman" by Biyi Bandele and "Anikulapo" by Kunle Afolayan should have been in the Official Selections of the Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in competition with the best new films by other filmmakers in the world.
Both of them were produced for Netflix and the producers were fixated on seeing them in competition for the global Top 10 movies on Netflix.
The obsession of Nigerian filmmakers for Netflix deserves to be studied by psychologists.
Being on Netflix has become a status symbol for bragging rights by local filmmakers in Nollywood and their second obsession and status symbol is Amazon Prime Video SVOD.
To them being on either Netflix or Amazon Prime Video SVOD is like winning an Oscar at the annual Academy Awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Once they are on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video SVOD, they have arrived, even though they are among the lowest paid filmmakers compared to the American, European, Australian and Asian filmmakers on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video SVOD.
Hundreds of the local filmmakers can stampede over themselves to be on either of the two leading streaming platforms for even US$20, 000. Yeah, they have become so cheap that many of them are giving their new movies to MultiChoice for less than US$1, 000 per movie! In fact, they fast and pray and do night vigils of praise and worship to be accepted by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video SVOD and MultiChoice.
They are doing more harm than good to the international reputation and valuation of Nollywoood and the Nigerian film industry.
If the focus of the producers of "Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman" and "Anikulapo" has been on making the Official Selections of the biggest international film festivals and the Academy Awards, there would not have been any controversial rejection of the films by the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) for the Best International Feature Film category of the 2023 annual Academy Awards. Their focus on Netflix distracted them from following the road map to the Oscars.
COMPETITION Les Amandiers, dir: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi Holy Spider, dir: Ali Abbasi Crimes Of The Future, dir: David Cronenberg Stars At Noon, dir: Claire Denis Frère Et Soeur, dir: Arnaud Desplechin Tori And Lokita, dirs: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Armageddon Time, dir: James Gray Close, dir: Lukas Dhont Broker, dir: Hirokazu Kore-eda RMN, dir: Cristian Mungiu Triangle Of Sadness, dir: Ruben Ostlund Showing Up, dir: Kelly Reichardt Decision To Leave, dir: Park Chan-wook Nostalgia, dir: Mario Martone Tchaikovski’s Wife, dir: Kirill Serebrennikov Boy From Heaven, dir: Tarik Saleh Leila’s Brothers, dir: Saeed Roustaee Eo, dir: Jerzy Skolimowski
UN CERTAIN REGARD *Les Pires, dirs: Lisa Akoka, Romane Gueret Burning Days, dir: Emin Alper *Metronom, dir: Alexandru Belc All The People I’ll Never Be, dir: Davy Chou Sick Of Myself, dir: Kristoffer Borgli Domingo And The Mist, dir: Ariel Escalante Meza *Plan 75, dir: Hayakawa Chie *Beast, dirs: Riley Keough, Gina Gammell Corsage, dir: Marie Kreutzer *Butterfly Vision, dir: Maksim Nakonechnyi The Silent Twins, dir: Agnieszka Smocynska The Stranger, dir: Thomas M Wright *Joyland, dir: Saim Sadiq *Rodeo, dir: Lola Quivoron Godland, dir: Hlynur Palmason
CANNES PREMIERE Nos Frangins, dir: Rachid Bouchareb Nightfall, dir: Marco Bellocchio Dodo, dir: Panos H Koutras Irma Vep (series), dir: Olivier Assayas
OUT OF COMPETITION Z (Comme Z), dir: Michel Hazanavicius Top Gun: Maverick, dir: Joseph Kosinski Elvis, dir: Baz Luhrmann Novembre, dir: Cédric Jimenez Three Thousand Years Of Longing, dir: George Miller Mascarade, dir: Nicolas Bedos
MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS Hunt, dir: Lee Jung-Jae Moonage Daydream, dir: Brett Morgen Fumer Fait Tousser, dir: Quentin Dupieux
SPECIAL SCREENINGS All That Breathes, dir: Shaunak Sen The Natural History Of Destruction, dir: Sergei Loznitsa Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble In Mind, dir: Ethan Coen
*Denotes first film, eligible for the Camera d’Or
2022 Short films and La Cinef Selections
The Short Film Palme d'or will be awarded on Saturday, May 28 during the closing ceremony of Cannes Film Festival.
TSUTSUE Amartei Armar
Ghana/France - 15'
PO SUI TAI YANG ZHI XIN (A SHORT STORY) Bi Gan
China - 15'
LORI (MELANCHOLY OF MY MOTHER'S LULLABIES) Abinash Bikram Shah
Nepal/Hong Kong - 14'
HAI BIAN SHENG QI YI ZUO XUAN YA (THE WATER MURMURS) Story Chen/China - 14'
UOGOS (CHERRIES) Vytautas Katkus
Lithuania/Italy - 15'
SAME OLD Lloyd Lee Choi
United States - 15'
LE FEU AU LAC (FIRE AT THE LAKE) Pierre Menahem
France - 15'
GAKJIL (PERSONA) Sujin Moon
South Korea - 6'
LUZ NOCTURNA (NIGHT LIGHT) Kim Torres
Costa Rica/Mexico - 14'
For its 25th edition, La Cinef has selected 13 live-action and 3 animated shorts directed by 6 male directors and 10 women directors, from among the 1,528 submitted by film schools all over the world.
The 3 La Cinef prizes will be handed at a ceremony preceding the screening of the awarded films on Thursday 26 May, in the Buñuel Theatre.
Mo Abudu and Chioma Ude Have the Best International PR for Nollywood
Mo Abudu, the Founder and CEO of the EbonyLife Group and Chioma Ude, the Founder and CEO of the annual Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) have the best international public relations profiles for Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry.
Both of them understand the importance and significance of international public relations for the promotion of Nollywood as a global brand of the Nigerian film industry. And that is why both of them are the most recognised and have been attracting international partnerships with the leading film and TV entertainment companies in the world, including Netflix, Sony Pictures and Disney.
Mo was the first to gain international recognition with the influential Hollywood Reporter calling her Africa's answer to Oprah Winfrey and named her among Hollywood Reporter's MIPCOM's 25 Most Powerful Women in Global TV.
Then the highly esteemed Forbes magazine named her Africa's Most Successful Woman.
In 2021, She was selected to become a Voting Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for the annual Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars.
Her international honours within 11 years have been really groundbreaking as a trailblazer for Nigerian women in the global entertainment industry.
Forbes Africa recognised Mo Abudu as the first African woman to own a Pan-Africa TV channel in 2013; Entrepreneur of the Year award by Women Week in New York in 2014; appointed a Director of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences responsible for staging the annual International Emmy Awards.and later appointed her as the first African Chair of the 47th annual International Emmy Awards Gala, held in New York on Monday November 25, 2019; named on the Power list 2018 of UK's top 100 most influential people of African and Caribbean descent; the first African to be awarded the MIPTV's 2019 Médailles d'Honneur, in Cannes, France; named in the Powerlist 2020 of the Top 100 most influential people in the UK of African/African-Caribbean descent and featured in the Greatest Blacks Ever: Top 100 Blacks Who Changed the World for (Peace: Progress: Prosperity).
Mo did not receive all the accolades of her outstanding achievements overnight. She started with her "Moments with Mo" on TV like the Oprah Winfrey Show that inspired her as she told the New York Times in her recent most comprehensive interview last week.
She talked about her influential family backgrounds, childhood dreams, education and top flight professional career as brand ambassador for AVON Cosmetics for the African market; HR consultant with Atlas Recruitment Consultancy firm in the UK; the Starform Group; Head of HR for Arthur Andersen and HR & Training for ExxonMobil. She was the Founder of Vic Lawrence & Associates Limited.
Her passion for the film and TV entertainment industry is powered by her vision to excel, succeed and triumph in spite of the economic and societal challenges of Nigeria in competition with the best in the world.
Chioma Ude has paid her dues before she became the first Nigerian woman to be in Variety's Annual International Women’s Impact Report for 2020
Before, Chioma became a trailblazer for Nollywood, she has been an Amazon in Corporate Nigeria as the Managing Director and CEO of JATA Logistics Ltd. Then she invested in the blossoming Nollywood as she co-organised and co-hosted the successful 6th ION International Film Festival (IONIFF) (a touring festival originating from Hollywood) in 2009 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State with the organizing committee of experts, including Peace Anyiam-Osigwe the founder and CEO of the annual AMAA Awards, Caterina Bortolussi, the co-producer of ION International Film Festival, Soledad Grognett, Ilaria Chessa, June Givanni, Alessandra Speciale and Celine Loader. Then the following year, 2010, she founded and organised the first edition of the annual Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) in December and she has made it the numero uno of film festivals in Nigeria and West Africa.
She has invested her resources and quality time on the international profile of the film festival as I reported in my widely circulated "AFRIFF International Film Festival Brings Hollywood-Style Glitz and Glamour To Lagos"
AFRIFF has awarded scholarships for international courses in filmmaking and film studies in America and France.
In 2019, Chioma became the Co-Founder and Group CEO of Envivo Communications Limited, a multifaceted convergence of the entertainment industry, educational developments and technological applications for the fintech Industry.
Envivo launched the nVivo TV, a
free video on demand streaming platform that offers diverse content from the best content providers in the world.
By their visionary leadership, Mo Abudu and Chioma Ude have shown us the Big Picture of Nollywood of the future as one of the most dynamic creative developments in the global entertainment industry of the 21st century.
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