The Story⚡
The first Entertainment Week Africa closed its six-day run in Lagos with its film and screen program firmly established as the heartbeat of the festival.
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From November 18–23, Entertainment Week Africa (EWA) turned Lagos into a working hub for the continent’s film community. Spread across Livespot Entertarium, Eko Hotel, EbonyLife Place, and Alliance Française, the festival made the city feel like one connected campus for cinema.
The screen program delivered exactly what it promised:
- 93 films screened, ranging from African premieres to international selections
- Stand-out titles included Chronicles of Afrobeat, The Herd, Dust to Dream, and a double bill of Mama Nike and Magazine Dreams
- Sold-out director sessions that gave audiences direct access to the filmmakers
EbonyLife Place and Alliance Française became the natural homes for the film activities, hosting premieres, panel discussions, and late-night conversations that ran long after the credits rolled.
The four-day Story Lab workshop provided one of the week’s clearest results. Led by Lani Aisida, Nicole Asinugo, and Dami Elebe, and backed by Netflix, Amazon Prime, NdaniTV, and Africa Magic, the lab took 15 writers and delivered six production-ready loglines and polished pitch concepts. Eight participants were selected for continued development support.
Across the full festival, 28,683 accredited pass-holders from over eight countries attended, with the largest professional contingents coming from filmmaking, media, and business consulting — proof that the screen program drew the people who actually finance and distribute films.
More than 35 panels, 22 workshops, and 20 masterclasses tackled the practical questions facing African filmmakers today: distribution pipelines, co-production structures, and routes to market.
Key partners who made the film program possible included Blue Pictures Entertainment, Circuits Global Solutions, Africa Magic, Showmax, MTN, Wonder Media Kind, MBO Capital, Regal Stone Capital, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and NdaniTV.
Founder Deola Art Alade summed up the week simply: “Our ambition over the coming years is for Entertainment Week Africa to establish itself as a critical part of the economic, intellectual, and artistic capital of this great city. We’re delighted with the first steps towards that.”
In Summary
Entertainment Week Africa 2025 is now over, but its film program has already changed the conversation. The next edition is confirmed for November 17–22, 2026. Registration is open today at the official website.
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