The organiser of Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) has unveiled the programmes scheduled for this year’s edition of the movie event. Slated to run from October 29 to November 4, 2017, the event marks AFRIFF’s 7th season of celebrating African cinema in Nigeria.
At a glamorous media launch held at British Council, Ikoyi, Lagos recently, the atmosphere indicated how eager stakeholders were for another week of cinematic experience, business networking, movie premieres, film screenings, industry sessions, master classes, workshops, awards and other events that have become the hallmark of the AFRIFF journey since it debuted in 2010.
It is a season of international collaborations for AFRIFF with the French government coming in to strengthen its commercial and artistic exchanges with Nigeria. “The importance of AFRIFF, that is growing year after year, is a wonderful showcase for us,” French Consul General, Lagos, Laurent Polonceaux, said.
Interestingly, AFRIFF 2017 is dedicating two days, November 2-3, 2017 to French films. This is even as British Council, UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, is bringing the London BFI (British Film Institute) into a new partnership with AFRIFF. Tagged ‘Film Connections’, the British Council’s partnership also aims to share knowledge and give pep to co-production opportunities between filmmakers from Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
AFRIFF founder/executive director, Chioma Ude, said: “AFRIFF is well prepared to host filmmakers and actors from around the world this year, as the festival continues to attract interests with a record of 3,232 film entries received this year alone.”