Over 100 films to screen at AFRIFF 2016

The annual Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) returns for its sixth year of cinematic celebration, with an impressive line-up of movie premieres, film screenings, industry sessions, master classes and other festival programmes holding in Lagos from November 13 to 20, 2016.
Announcing the festival programme at the Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos recently, AFRIFF Founder/Executive Director, Ms Chioma Ude said Lagos will, once again, wear the tourism ambiance, playing host to filmmakers and actors from around the world, with over 100 films showing at the newly opened FilmOne-IMAX and Genesis Duluxe Cinema, both in Lekki, Lagos.
Ude appeared to have struck the right cord when she announced Nate Parker’s Oscar hopeful, The Birth of a Nation and Izu Ojukwu’s celebrated film on the first Nigerian military coup, ’76, as the opening and closing films respectively.
Canon Europe Ltd, leading provider of digital cameras, and Diageo Nigeria, world’s premium beverage company joined the list of resourceful partners and developmental agencies like Ford Foundation, British Institute, Lagos State, Africa Magic, MultiChoice Nigeria, Access Bank, Bank of Industry, Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN), Afrinolly, African Film Consortium (AFC), FilmOne-IMAX and Genesis Duluxe Cinemas, at the press parley and cocktail launch.
According to the AFRIFF boss, festival guests are up for the best of times during the festival, as all the films are products of the new narratives for African cinema and Black films the world over.
The selection includes 93 Days (Nigeria) by Steve Gukas, The CEO (Nigeria) by Kunle Afolayan, Vaya (South Africa) by Akin Omotoso, The Cursed Ones (U.K) by Nana Obiri, The Wedding Ring (Niger) by Rahmatou Keita, Kati Kati (Kenya) by Mbithi Masya, If Tomorrow Never Comes (Ghana) by Pascal Amanfo, Remember Me (Nigeria) by Izu Ojukwu, and Breathe (South Africa) by Mark Dornford-May.
Others include The Missing God (Nigeria) by Ubaka Joseph, Unspoken (Nigeria) by Remi Vaughan-Richards, Green White Green (Nigeria) by Abba Makama, The Unseen (Namibia) by Perivi Natjavivi, N.G.O (Uganda) by Arnold Aganze, Gidi Blues (Nigeria) by Femi Odugbemi, Daggers of Life (Ghana) by Paapa Otoo, Shadow of the Passion (Burkina Faso) by Ado Bambara, Ojukokoro (Nigeria) by Dare Olaitan, Bala Bala Sese (Uganda) by Lukyamuzi Bashir, and The Arbitration (Nigeria) by Niyi Akinmolayan.
According to Ude, in addition to the wide range of films, the festival will also offer industry platforms for skill acquisition, financing, pitching, symposia on alternative revenue streams and piracy. She noted that one of the core objectives of the festival is the talent development where AFRIFF has been engaging with its partners in creating opportunities for young people to explore filmmaking.
Speaking on Canon’s partnership with AFRIFF, Managing Director of
CCNA, Roman Troedthandl, said: “It is incredible to see how far AFRIFF has come in the past six years in terms of receiving acknowledgement within the international film industry. The festival has grown from strength to strength in these years. CCNA is proud to partner with AFRIFF and contribute to this success. We are looking forward to this year’s festival and the world class cinema that will be screened.”