The Story⚡
AFRIFF 2025 launches November 2-8 with “3 Cold Dishes” as the opening film, celebrating African cinema under the theme “The Rhythms of the Continent: The Afrobeat’s Film Movement.”
Executive producer Burna Boy amplified the film’s reach by streaming an exclusive teaser during his sold-out Stade de France concert in Paris on April 18, 2025, turning the performance into a promotional moment for African cinema.
Tell Me More
AFRIFF 2025 marks a pivotal moment for African cinema. The festival spans seven days, creating an immersive celebration of the continent’s visual storytelling and providing a platform for filmmakers to showcase their work to audiences and industry professionals alike
The theme “The Rhythms of the Continent: The Afrobeats Film Movement” represents a deliberate curatorial shift.
Rather than treating Afrobeats as merely a musical genre, AFRIFF positions it as a broader cultural and aesthetic movement reshaping African visual storytelling, filmmaking language, and cinema itself. This reflects how contemporary African creators are blending music, film, fashion, and narrative in unprecedented ways.
“3 Cold Dishes,” the opening film, is a Pan-African action-thriller featuring three women seeking justice against traffickers. Executive produced by Afrobeat’s giant, Burna Boy and Osas Ighodaro, the film’s selection symbolizes the festival’s commitment to stories addressing African realities while maintaining global cinematic appeal.
Key Background
AFRIFF has established itself as Africa’s premier festival since its 2010 founding by Chioma Ude, championing stories with global resonance while nurturing African filmmakers. Over fifteen editions, the festival has witnessed seismic shifts in the continent’s cinema landscape.
The festival emerged during Nollywood’s transition from direct-to-video to theatrical releases, helping legitimize Nigerian cinema as an artistic force. Early editions showcased films that later gained international recognition, positioning AFRIFF as a tastemaker.
The 2020 virtual edition during COVID-19 forced AFRIFF to reimagine accessibility, reaching audiences beyond Lagos and revealing untapped markets across Africa and the diaspora. This raised questions about the festival’s physical versus digital future.
The Afrobeats global explosion, has created new expectations for African creative industries. This year’s theme challenges African cinema to match music’s global cultural penetration.
This edition inherits complex dynamics: streaming-era distribution challenges, and Afrobeats’ blueprint for global success.
Tukki from Roots to Bayou: The Closing Film
The festival will be brought to a close by Alun Wade’s “Tukki from Roots to Bayou””; a personal exploration and documentary project about the connections between African and African-American music, particularly jazz.
In Wolof, TUKKI means journey, an apt title for this documentary tracing African music’s transatlantic evolution. The film follows Senegalese musician and composer Alune Wade as he travels through West Africa to New Orleans exploring the connections between jazz on both sides of the Atlantic
Shot across Dakar, Saint-Louis, Lagos, Accra, Paris, and New Orleans, the documentary examines how enslaved Africans preserved and transformed their musical traditions into jazz. The film delves into connections between West African rhythms, Lagos’ Afrobeat grooves, and New Orleans’ brass traditions
Produced by Crescendo-SUNO Production, La Chemise Productions, and the Neighborhood Story Project, Tukki represents cultural reclamation, asserting Africa’s foundational role in jazz’s creation.
Tangent
AFRIFF 2025 arrives amid growing conversations about African film distribution and accessibility. Historically, African films struggle to secure theatrical releases and international distribution despite critical acclaim. This festival presents an opportunity to address the infrastructure gap. Will AFRIFF use its platform to connect filmmakers with distributors, streaming services, and funding bodies? The festival’s success depends not just on showcasing quality cinema, but on creating pathways that allow these films to reach audiences beyond the festival circuit.
In Summary
AFRIFF 2025 signals that African cinema is ready for the world. From November 2-8 at Landmark Filmhouse in Lagos, audiences will witness storytelling that captures the continent’s creative pulse
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