30ste editie
Welcome to the 30th edition of the Afrika Filmfestival. We are delighted that you are joining us to celebrate this milestone together!
Returning visitors will notice that this edition looks a little different from previous years. In 2025, we reduced the number of festival days and side events. This year, we are returning to the essence of the festival: presenting the finest films the African continent has to offer. We place special emphasis on compelling stories, breathtaking visuals, and outstanding performances. Thanks to a compact yet diverse programme, there is something for every film lover. Documentary enthusiasts can look forward to the opening film Ernest Cole: Lost and Found and the closing film Samia. Fans of quality fiction will find much to enjoy in the Oscar submissions Nawi, Dear Future Me and Everybody Loves Touda. In addition, there are many hidden gems waiting to be discovered, and, as always, we devote considerable attention to the work of emerging filmmakers through the YAFMAs and the Belgian Shorts programme. Like you, several juries will also watch and evaluate the selected short films, and the most promising filmmakers will be honoured during the Award Night.
When the festival was founded in 1996, African filmmakers—particularly those living in Europe—predicted that questions of identity would become even more important as increasing numbers of Afropeans took up the camera. Through their work, they seek greater visibility within the local audiovisual landscape and strive to ensure that their stories become part of the cultural fabric of the societies in which they live. This is essential for social cohesion and democracy.
The Africa Film Festival has always closely followed the work of Afro-Belgian directors and actors, not only by programming their films but, in some cases, also by actively supporting them. In 2022, we organised a Belgian short film competition and a workshop for the first time, creating a space where these young and diverse filmmakers could meet and exchange ideas. This year once again, you can discover a selection of remarkable and powerful short films in the Belgian Shorts competition. Their stories often revolve around questions of identity, approached from both shared and widely differing perspectives. The socio-cultural and political influences experienced—directly or indirectly—by filmmakers from Congo or Rwanda differ from those affecting filmmakers from Ghana, Nigeria, or Morocco, particularly when they live in Belgium. This complexity forms part of the broader cultural environment in which we live here in Leuven, Flanders, Belgium, and Europe. It also contributes to the humanisation of our media landscape, enriching our culture and helping audiences become true global citizens.
Alongside our focus on Afropean filmmakers, AFF remains committed to showcasing recent film productions from Africa and by African directors. We consider this focus essential in helping to decolonise our perspective on the world. These films not only provide insight into the richness and complexity of African cultures and societies, but also contribute to a deeper understanding of the continent, its people, and above all, its creativity. At Cinema ZED, AFF presents the latest films that have already made a strong impression at major international film festivals and deserve a place in any arthouse programme, yet most have not yet found their way into the Belgian film landscape.
In addition to the Belgian Shorts competition and our focus on African feature films, this year marks the 11th edition of the award for Best African Short Film: the Guido Huysmans Young African Filmmaker Awards, better known as the YAFMAs. The selection is spread across four programmes, and one conclusion is unmistakable: the quality of the submissions continues to improve significantly year after year.