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African Film Festival ()

Deadlines

01 Jan 2024
Call for entries

06 May 2024
Early deadline

05 Aug 2024
Standard deadline

09 Sep 2024
Late deadline

04 Oct 2024
Festival closed

28 Oct 2024
Notification date

06 Dec 2024
07 Dec 2024

Address

Manyatta, N/A, Kisumu, Kisumu, Kenya

Festival description

Short film festival 45'<

Feature film festival >45'

Festival requirements

Film festival

Fiction

Documentary

Animation

Fantastic

Terror

Experimental

Music Video

Other

Any Genre

Any Theme

Has submission fees

International Festival

Physical Location

July 2023

Production countries: Any

Shooting countries: Any

Director nationalities: Any

Debut Films

School projects

Short Films 45'<

Feature Films >45'

AI Tools

Any language

Share on Social Networks

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English

Festival description (Edition: )

Festival start: 06 December 2024 Festival end: 07 December 2024

The African Film Festival focuses on films made by Africans and those in the African Diaspora. Additionally, we showcase films shot in Kisumu, Kenya – an exciting birth of local stories being told through the medium of film.

Our first festival was opened by the RT. Honourable Prime Minister of Uganda, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, and the Governor of Kisumu Kenya, his Excellence Professor Peter Nyong'o (also father of Oscar-winning actress, Lupita Nyong'o). We also welcomed the Ugandan High Commissioner to Canada, Kisumu's Minister of Arts, Culture and Tourism, and filmmakers from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, the UK, Canada, and the US. Since then, we have continued to welcome filmmakers and film lovers from around the world!

In 2019, we were excited to open the festival with Bed of Thorns, Uganda's first movie made with an all-female crew, and to welcome Artist in Residence Giggs Kgonamotse Kgole, one of the Mail and Guardian’s Top 200 young South Africans, whose work “God Ke Mama” was the catalogue cover of the 10th Anniversary Young Masters Art Prize in London.

During COVID, we were forced to present scaled down versions of the festival, but we returned in full force in December, 2022 for our 5th edition of the festival, during which we held two open forums, multi-day workshops on production design and sales/distribution, three days of screenings and a gala awards event, and welcomed the Kenyan Film Commission, Kenyan Film Classification Board and the Kisumu Minister of Arts, Culture and Sport. In 2023 we welcomed Kenyan actor Charles Ouda, who came to present an award and speak with the kids who came to watch our world premiere of episodes 3 and 4 of Twende, in which he starred. Our guest of honour was her excellency, Kisumu First Lady Dorthy Nyong'o, who also happens to be the mother of Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o.

All festival programmers are Africans. Given our focus on filmmakers, each submission is watched by at least two people. If they disagree, a third programmer will review the film. Then, the top scoring films are considered by the programming team as a whole. Our goal is to be as fair as possible, giving every submission a reasonable opportunity to be selected. With that said, in 2023, each film was watched by at least 5 programmers.

Prizes and qualifications

Awards are determined by a jury, and provided in all categories.

Rules

Your film must be eligible for the category within which it has been submitted. All movies submitted must have been completed no earlier than July 1, 2023.

Pan-African Cinema - Short Films

Short Films 45'<

Fee

-8%

PRO 18%

Early 8$ 7.36$ 6.56$ 06 May 24

Standard 8$ 7.36$ 6.56$ 05 Aug 24

Late 9$ 8.28$ 7.38$ 09 Sep 24

Extended 10$ 9.2$ 8.2$ 04 Oct 24

Get an Annual Pass and get the maximum discount on festival and submission fees

Submissions deadline
04 Oct 24

Save up
1.44$

Submit

All films must be - at least partially - filmed in Africa. Special exceptions may be made at the staff's discretion for films written and directed by citizens of Africa who have filmed in a foreign country. We are happy to accept films of any genre or style. We're simply looking to showcase African film talent! Each film will be watched by at least two different programmers. Film must be less than 45 minutes in runtime.

East African Cinema - Feature Films (Free Submission!)

Short Films >45'

Fee

-8%

PRO 18%

Early 0$ 0$ 0$ 06 May 24

Standard 0$ 0$ 0$ 05 Aug 24

Late 0$ 0$ 0$ 09 Sep 24

Get an Annual Pass and get the maximum discount on festival and submission fees

Submissions deadline
04 Oct 24

Save up
0$

Submit

All films must be - at least partially - filmed in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, DRC, or Kenya. Special exceptions may be made at the festival's discretion for films written and directed by citizens of Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, DRC or Kenya who have filmed in a foreign country. We are happy to accept films of any genre or style. We're simply looking to showcase East African film talent! Each film will be watched by at least two different programmers. Film must be more than 45 minutes in runtime.

East African Cinema - Short Films (Free Submission!)

Short Films 45'<

Fee

-8%

PRO 18%

Early 0$ 0$ 0$ 06 May 24

Standard 0$ 0$ 0$ 05 Aug 24

Late 0$ 0$ 0$ 09 Sep 24

Get an Annual Pass and get the maximum discount on festival and submission fees

Submissions deadline
04 Oct 24

Save up
0$

Submit

All films must be - at least partially - filmed in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, DRC or Kenya. Special exceptions may be made at the festival's discretion for films written and directed by citizens of Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, DRC or Kenya who have filmed in a foreign country. We are happy to accept films of any genre or style. We're simply looking to showcase East African film talent! Each film will be watched by at least two different programmers. Film must be less than 45 minutes in runtime.

Pan-African Cinema - Feature Films

Short and Feature Films >45'

Fee

-8%

PRO 18%

Early 15$ 13.8$ 12.3$ 06 May 24

Standard 16$ 14.72$ 13.12$ 05 Aug 24

Late 18$ 16.56$ 14.76$ 09 Sep 24

Extended 20$ 18.4$ 16.4$ 04 Oct 24

Get an Annual Pass and get the maximum discount on festival and submission fees

Submissions deadline
04 Oct 24

Save up
2.88$

Submit

African Diaspora Cinema - Short Films

Short Films 45'<

Fee

-8%

PRO 18%

Early 12$ 11.04$ 9.84$ 06 May 24

Standard 13$ 11.96$ 10.66$ 05 Aug 24

Late 14$ 12.88$ 11.48$ 09 Sep 24

Extended 15$ 13.8$ 12.3$ 04 Oct 24

Get an Annual Pass and get the maximum discount on festival and submission fees

Submissions deadline
04 Oct 24

Save up
2.34$

Submit

We leave it to you to determine whether you/your film fit(s) within this African Diaspora category, considering your ancestry, family history, etc. We are happy to accept films of any genre or style. Each film will be watched by at least two different programmers. Film must be less than 45 minutes in runtime.

African Diaspora Cinema - Feature Films

Short and Feature Films >45'

Fee

-8%

PRO 18%

Early 12$ 11.04$ 9.84$ 06 May 24

Standard 13$ 11.96$ 10.66$ 05 Aug 24

Late 14$ 12.88$ 11.48$ 09 Sep 24

Extended 15$ 13.8$ 12.3$ 04 Oct 24

Get an Annual Pass and get the maximum discount on festival and submission fees

Submissions deadline
04 Oct 24

Save up
2.34$

Submit

Non-African Cinema - Short Films

Short Films 45'<

Fee

-8%

PRO 18%

Early 12$ 11.04$ 9.84$ 06 May 24

Standard 13$ 11.96$ 10.66$ 05 Aug 24

Late 15$ 13.8$ 12.3$ 09 Sep 24

Extended 17$ 15.64$ 13.94$ 04 Oct 24

Get an Annual Pass and get the maximum discount on festival and submission fees

Submissions deadline
04 Oct 24

Save up
2.34$

Submit

Any film that doesn't fit into one of the African or African Diaspora categories! Each film will be watched by at least two different programmers. Film must be less than 45 minutes in runtime.

Non-African Cinema - Feature Films

Short and Feature Films >45'

Fee

-8%

PRO 18%

Early 20$ 18.4$ 16.4$ 06 May 24

Standard 22.5$ 20.7$ 18.45$ 05 Aug 24

Late 25$ 23$ 20.5$ 09 Sep 24

Extended 28$ 25.76$ 22.96$ 04 Oct 24

Get an Annual Pass and get the maximum discount on festival and submission fees

Submissions deadline
04 Oct 24

Save up
4.05$

Submit

Any film that doesn't fit into one of the African or African Diaspora categories! Each film will be watched by at least two different programmers. Film must be more than 45 minutes in runtime.

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