By Charles Pemu 
The Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), now in its 14th edition, has cemented its status as a pivotal cultural and economic force with the launch of the AFRIFF Film and Content Market (AFCM). This landmark development transforms the week-long festival from merely a showcase of artistry into a powerful, dedicated business platform for African cinema, television, and digital content.
Running from November 2nd to 8th, 2025, in Lagos, the festival’s theme, “Rhythms of the Continent: The Afrobeats Film Movement,” is a deliberate ode to the synergy between Africa’s globally dominant music genre and its burgeoning film industry. This theme challenges filmmakers to translate the international success and authentic storytelling power of Afrobeats onto the silver screen.
The AFCM, which runs concurrently from Monday, November 3rd to Thursday, November 6th, 2025, is Nigeria’s first official, structured film and content marketplace. AFRIFF Founder and Executive Director, Chioma Ude, articulated the market as the “sustainability act” for African filmmakers, focusing on creating an environment where art can be financed, sold, and scaled.
The market is designed as a high-powered business hub where industry transactions take precedence. It features:
- Pitching Sessions: Creators pitch in-development projects directly to international investors, sales agents, and distributors.
- Exhibition and Deal Rooms: Structured spaces for content buyers and sellers to negotiate licensing, co-production deals, and distribution agreements for finished and developing projects.
- Industry Sessions: Panels and masterclasses dissecting critical business issues such as revenue maximisation, intellectual property rights, and film financing structures in Africa.
This initiative is backed by significant partnerships, including the Lagos State Government, the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, and global players like MTN, and even features a Brazil Showcase with SP CINE.
Perhaps the most significant business development is the strategic collaboration between the AFCM and the prestigious Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film. This partnership provides a direct, unprecedented bridge to the global film stage, ensuring that selected, market-ready projects from the AFCM will gain automatic entry and exposure at the next edition of the renowned French market. This moves African storytelling directly into the international trade conversation.
Star-Powered Films and Global Stories
The 14th edition showcases over ninety films spanning features, documentaries, shorts, and animations from across Africa and the diaspora, with the main screenings and market events taking place at venues like Twin Waters and Landmark in Lekki.
The festival’s opening night is headlined by the highly anticipated Pan-African revenge thriller, “Three Cold Dishes,” directed by Asurf Oluseyi. The film has attracted global attention due to its co-executive production by Grammy-winner Burna Boy (Spaceship Films) and actress Osas Ighodaro (Imuetiyan Productions). Starring a diverse cast from Nigeria, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire, the film tackles the rarely-told story of intra-African human trafficking, embodying the festival’s commitment to authentic, socially relevant African narratives with global production standards.
The curtain will close with the music-themed documentary, “TUKKI – From Roots to Bayou,” directed by Vincent Le Gal and Alune Wade, further reinforcing the theme linking African music and cinematic culture.
Honouring Excellence and Inspiring Leadership
Beyond the screenings and market activities, AFRIFF continues its tradition of recognizing excellence. The festival will present the newly renamed Herbert Wigwe Award for Excellence, honoring the late banking visionary and AFRIFF patron. This year’s recipients include Vice President Kashim Shettima and Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah on the opening night, with Nigerian-British actor David Oyelowo and distinguished technocrat Hakeem Muri-Okunola being celebrated on the closing night.
By blending the celebration of art with a structured, commerce-focused marketplace and high-level international partnerships, AFRIFF 2025 is not just hosting a film festival; it is actively restructuring the financial ecosystem of African cinema, positioning Nigeria as the essential continental hub for creative trade and global collaboration.