The Story⚡
Amidst Africa’s cinematic surge, Dika Ofoma’s Kachifo (Till the Morning Comes), a story of undying love defying Nigeria’s taboos across lifetimes, sweeps three major awards at Locarno’s Open Doors, sharing the spotlight with Zimbabwe’s Black Snake and other rising African projects.
Tell Me More
The 2025 Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors initiative, focused on African talent, celebrated a wave of innovative projects, with Nigerian director Dika Ofoma’s Kachifo emerging as a standout winner. Announced on August 12, 2025, the awards highlighted the continent’s storytelling prowess, granting Kachifo a CHF 20,000 ($24,668) Open Doors Grant (shared with two others), the €6,000 ARTEKino International Award for development, and the Sørfond Award, including an invitation to the November pitching event in Oslo.
Produced by Blessing Uzzi under Bluehouse Studios, Kachifo tells a visually ambitious tale of two lovers whose bond endures through lifetimes, challenging cultural and religious opposition in a society where homosexual relationships remain taboo. The jury praised its “poetic, narratively ambitious” approach and Ofoma’s “passionate commitment” to exploring forbidden love, marking it as a groundbreaking entry in African cinema.Ofoma emphasized the film’s global resonance, stating, “It reaffirms what I’ve always believed in, that stories about our people, stories that are specific to our culture, can travel, can connect with audiences who aren’t Nigerian or African.”
The main Open Doors Grant, a CHF 50,000 prize sponsored by visions sud est and the City of Bellinzona, was divided among three projects: Zimbabwe’s Black Snake by Naishe Nyamubaya received the largest share at CHF 25,000 for its “bold and singular” narrative, a fiction feature in pre-production that confronts societal expectations through a young woman’s journey, blending folklore and personal defiance.
Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso’s Diary of a Goat Woman, directed by Azata Soro, earned CHF 5,000, offering a feminist lens on rural life and social metaphors in a story of resilience and transformation. Additionally, DR Congo and France’s Les Bilokos (The Bilokos) by Erickey Bahati won the €8,000 CNC Development Grant, a documentary following former child soldiers’ paths to redemption, produced by Giresse Kassonga.
These wins underscore Locarno’s commitment to fostering underrepresented voices from Africa, with Open Doors providing grants, networking, and co-production opportunities. Ofoma, a rising Nigerian filmmaker, and Uzzi form a dynamic duo pushing boundaries in African narratives. The festival’s jury emphasized the project’s potential to reshape global perceptions of Nigerian and African cinema.
In Summary
Thanks for Reading.
Shockng.com covers the big creators and players in the African film/TV industry and how they do business.
Let’s be friends on Instagram @Shockafrica
