Film
Curating independent African cinema that pushes boundaries, preserves culture, and sparks global conversations.
About the organization
About AAIFF
The All Africans Indie Film Festival (AAIFF) is a pan‑African platform dedicated to discovering, developing, and supporting emerging filmmakers, storytellers, and creative entrepreneurs across Africa.
Our Origin
Nigerian stories deserve platforms that respect their complexity.
Founded in 2024 by Rebecca Isi Imafidon, AAIFF was created to provide visibility, access, community, and opportunity for independent African creatives whose stories deserve to be seen, heard, and preserved.
AAIFF is a platform for Nigerian and African stories that move across borders: geographically, culturally, emotionally, and politically. We support filmmakers, writers, and artists telling Nigerian stories at home and in the diaspora, and we create spaces where local realities meet global audiences.
Our work sits at the intersection of Nigerian cinema, African cinema and the diaspora, literature and screen adaptation, culture and social impact, policy and advocacy, and local communities in global conversation. This is transnational cinema not as theory, but as lived experience.
Our Ecosystem
More than a film festival.
What began as a film festival has evolved into a growing ecosystem at the intersection of film, advocacy, culture, entrepreneurship, social impact, and community.
Advocacy
Using storytelling as a tool for gender justice, human rights, policy dialogue, and social transformation.
Culture
Celebrating Nigerian, African, and diaspora narratives as living heritage and contemporary art.
Creative Entrepreneurship
Equipping filmmakers and artists with business skills, funding pathways, and sustainable career models.
Social Impact
Amplifying stories that address real‑world challenges and inspire community‑led change.
Community Building
Creating safe, nurturing spaces where creatives connect, collaborate, and grow together.
Policy Conversations
Bringing artistic voices into dialogues about cultural policy, creative economy, and continental development.
Our Work
A growing constellation of programmes.
From film festivals and grants to advocacy labs and book clubs, every initiative is designed to nurture the complete creative journey.
Film Festivals
The 28 November 2026 edition at Silverbird Galleria, Lagos, plus programmes and satellite events that showcase independent African cinema.
Grants & Pitch Opportunities
Direct funding and live pitch sessions that connect emerging filmmakers with producers, investors, and development partners.
Women in Arts & Film
A dedicated programme supporting female and non‑binary creatives through mentorship, workshops, and visibility campaigns.
Men in Arts & Film
Engaging male creatives as allies and advocates for equity, collaboration, and transformative storytelling.
SDG‑Focused Initiatives
Storytelling projects aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and African Agenda 2063, turning advocacy into narrative.
Creative Entrepreneurship Support
Business clinics, legal advice, and market access programmes that treat creativity as a sustainable livelihood.
International Partnerships
Exchange programmes, co‑productions, and festival collaborations that open doors for African films worldwide.
Advocacy Through Media
Using film, podcasts, and publications to shape public discourse on justice, culture, and African futures.
Transnational Cinema
Supporting stories that move across borders, bridging home and diaspora through cinematic language.
Book Club
A literary companion that deepens the conversation between African literature, screen adaptation, and critical thought.
Vision & Mission
What we believe.
Vision
To build a globally recognized African storytelling ecosystem that empowers creatives, influences culture, and contributes meaningfully to social and economic development across the continent.
Mission
To create platforms, opportunities, and conversations that support African creatives while using storytelling as a tool for education, healing, representation, advocacy, and transformation.
Values
Cultural respect, ethical collaboration, access, community care, gender justice, social impact, artist dignity, and audience participation.
Cultural Impact
Supporting emerging African storytellers. Building advocacy through cinema. Creating global creative opportunities. Preserving African narratives. Encouraging policy and cultural dialogue. Championing social impact storytelling.
AAIFF exists at the crossroads of art and activism, where each film, each conversation, and each collaboration helps shape a more inclusive, culturally rich future for the continent and its global diaspora.
History
A living timeline.
2024
A Lagos screening circle begins with independent films, open conversation, and a commitment to local stories.
2025
AAIFF expands labs, hybrid screenings, and exchange programs across creators working between countries.
Feb 2026
The book club launches to connect Nigerian, African, and diasporic texts with the screen stories they inspire.
Apr 2026
Rebecca Isi Imafidon represents Nigeria's media at Women Deliver 2026 in Melbourne through the Women Deliver Media Scholarship.
Nov 2026
AAIFF 2026 takes place on 28 November 2026 at Silverbird Galleria, Victoria Island, Lagos — theme: The Future is Storytold.
People
The team and advisors behind AAIFF.
Meet the core team led by Rebecca Isi Imafidon, and the Advisory Board guiding our next chapter.
Press
Mentioned by critics, editors, and culture desks.
THISDAYThe Lagos ReviewGuardian LifePulse NigeriaBellaNaijaThe Republic
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