The 32nd New York African Film Festival (NYAFF), running May 1 through May 31, 2025 under the banner “Fluid Horizons: A Shifting Lens on a Hopeful World” will screen 125 contemporary and classic films from Africa and its diaspora. The festival is held in partnership with Film at Lincoln Center (FLC), the Maysles Documentary Center, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
“In a world of uncertainty, this year’s presents a vision of the future through the eyes of Africa’s youth—bold, determined, and endlessly creative. As the youngest and fastest-growing continent, Africa is brimming with stories that demand to be told, not just as reflections of today’s challenges but as blueprints for a future shaped by resilience and possibility,” said Mahen Bonetti, NYAFF founder and AFF executive director. “This year’s festival is a testament to the power of cinema to inspire, provoke, and remind us that hope is always in motion.”
On Wednesday, May 7, the festival launches at Film at Lincoln Center where the Opening Night selection is the New York premiere of Afolabi Olalekan’s feature debut, Freedom Way, a film following the lives of nine individuals set on a collision course in a fast-paced thriller shot on location in Lagos.
The festival continues at Maysles Documentary Center from May 15 to 18. The Opening Night film, Ebrohimie Road: A Museum of Memory by Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún, is an insightful documentary about the role of a small university bungalow on the life of esteemed Nigerian author, playwright and Nobel Prize in Literature awardee Wole Soyinka. This segment will also feature the North American premiere of The Last Shore by Jean-François Ravagnan, a poignant documentary about the viral drowning death of a young Gambian migrant in Venice’s Grand Canal while onlookers hurled racists taunts; the U.S. premiere of Timpi Tampa a debut by Adama Bineta Sow, a social critique of colorism; and a wide range of documentary films.
On Friday, May 23, NYAFF lands at the Brooklyn Academy of Music under the name FilmAfrica, during DanceAfrica and runs through May 29. Similar to DanceAfrica, this leg of the festival shines the spotlight on Mozambique, with the African nation’s first feature film Mueda, Memória e Massacre (Mueda, Memory and Massacre), a 1979 film by Ruy Guerra. Other Mozambiquan titles include Kuxa Kanema: The Birth of Cinema by Margarida Cardoso and Granma Nineteen and the Soviet’s Secret by João Ribeiro Opening Night at BAM will see the North American premiere of Angèle Diabang’s So Long A Letter, the stirring adaptation of Senegalese author Mariama Bâ’s celebrated 1979 feminist novel, which won the first Noma Award for Publishing in Africa and which was rated among the top 12 in a tally of Africa’s 100 Best Books of the 20th Century at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair in 2002. Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions, Étalon d’Or de Yennenga (Best Film) at FESPACO 2025 by Burkinabé director Dani Kouyaté, which interprets Shakespeare’s Macbeth through an African lens, will have its New York premiere.
NYAFF culminates this year with a free outdoor screening of multi-language films at Harlem’s St. Nicholas Park (135th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue) on May 31 at 7 pm. Films include the feature Sadrack by Cameroonian director Narcisse Wandji (French with English subtitles) and two shorts: Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, Nigeria, by Sosena Solomon and Echoes of the Lake by Nico Muñoz (Spanish with English subtitles).
2025 New York African Film Festival Films & Descriptions
FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER
see Film at Lincoln Center lineup here
MAYSLES DOCUMENTARY CENTER
The Man Who Plants Baobabs
Michel K. Zongo, 2025, Burkina Faso, 72m
French with English subtitles
North American Premiere
For the past 50 years, a man has been planting baobab trees every year in his village located in western Burkina Faso. At the age of 80 today, he has planted over 3,000 baobab trees that stretch as far as the eye can see. El Hadj Salifou Ouédraogo has spent 2/3 of his life planting baobabs. It’s been a struggle and, above all, a life dedicated to ensuring the existence of these trees despite prevailing prejudices. El Hadj Salifou Ouédraogo was misunderstood by the inhabitants of his village when he started planting these majestic and millennia-old trees, which are rare and endangered in the African savannah.
Ebrohimie Road: A Museum of Memory
Kola Tubosun, 2024, Nigeria, U.S., 101m
English
New York Premiere
Before he became Africa’s first Nobel Prizewinner in Literature, a small campus bungalow at the University of Ibadan played an outsized role in the life of a man, Wole Soyinka, his family, his university, and the nation. Here’s the story. How do we preserve not just what we remember but the physical markers of such transient memory?
Arte Congo…Artists Journey on the Congo Coast of Panama
Arturo Lindsay, 2024, U.S., 68m
English and Spanish with English subtitles
Arte Congo…Artists Journey on the Congo Coast of Panama is a documentary film that depicts a unique “insider’s” view of a new Afro-centric Panamanian art movement that was born at a metaphoric crossroad in the village of Portobelo, Panama when Congo elder Virgilio “Yaneca” Esquina, photographer/author Sandra Eleta and artist/cultural investigator/educator Arturo Lindsay met. Along with a group of artists from Portobelo and the Spelman College Summer Art Colony, they established the painting workshop of Taller Portobelo.
Preceded by
Maurice Pellosh, Capturing Memory
Emmanuèle Béthery, Eddy Mikolo, 2024, Congo, France, 52m
French with English subtitles
U.S. Premiere
Visual Memory of a joyful and bygone era, Maurice Bidilou Pellosh (1951-2023), photographer – portraitist, in Pointe-Noire (Congo Brazzaville), is looking for his former clients. Focus on youth, that of lovers, sappers and dancers, in love with freedom in this bubbling period of acquired independence. Studio Pellosh, an unmissable place, has seen the entire Pontenegrine society parade for 4 decades and offers an exceptional heritage.
Timpi Tampa
Adama Bineta Sow, 2024, France; Senegal, 83m
Wolof with English subtitles
U.S. Premiere
Khalilou has been fighting toxic beauty standards ever since his mother developed skin cancer from using bleaching products. Dressed as Leila, he enters the “Miss Students” pageant, where light skin reigns supreme, to give darker-skinned girls a chance to shine.
Nawi
Toby and Kevin Schmutzler, Apuu Mourine, Vallentine Chelluget, 2024, Kenya, 99m
Swahili with English subtitles
Nawi is the first feature film shot in Kenya’s arid Turkana region. Inspired by true events, it follows the clash between government-led change and the deep-rooted tradition of child marriage. A collaboration between Kenyan NGO Learning Lions and German producers, the film stars local talent and was created to raise awareness and support girls’ education across rural Africa.
AJASS: Pioneers of the Black is Beautiful Movement
Louise Dente, 2022, U.S., 126m
English
This documentary traces the journey of AJASS (African Jazz-Art Society and Studios) from jazz concerts in the Bronx to Harlem, where Garveyism shaped their mission. AJASS launched the iconic “Naturally” shows featuring the Grandassa Models and helped ignite the Black is Beautiful movement. They also created the first African superhero, Lil Zeng, and used theater, music, and visual art to celebrate Black pride, history, and beauty.
Preceded by
Price of A Dream
Oussmane Fall, 2025, U.S., Senegal, 24m
English and Wolof with English subtitles
Price of a Dream is a poetic and deeply personal short documentary that examines the sacrifices and emotional cost of migration through the story of two Senegalese emigrants who tragically lost their lives while pursuing the American Dream. Told through the lens of the filmmaker’s brother, the film combines reflective imagery, heartfelt voicemails, and interviews with key voices, including an immigration lawyer, the president of the Senegalese Association, and a journalist. Together, these perspectives explore the harsh realities of leaving home, navigating a complex system, and enduring the pain of separation. The documentary raises profound questions about the price of ambition, the meaning of family, and the lasting impact of dreams left unfulfilled.
The Last Shore
Jean-François Ravagnan, 2024, Belgium, Gambia, Italy, Malta, Senegal, Tunisia, 70m
Fula with English subtitles
North American Premiere
In January 2017, a video of a young Gambian man drowning in Venice’s Grand Canal went viral. From the shore, onlookers shouted insults instead of offering help. He was 22 years old. His name was Pateh Sabally. Now, 2,500 miles away, the people who knew and loved him share the story behind the footage—the life, dreams, and heartbreak that led to that tragic moment.
Preceded by
The Cat Man Eshete
Laura Checkoway, 2024, U.S., Ethiopia, 25m
English
From Academy Award® nominee Laura Checkoway comes her next short doc The Cat Man Eshete. The extraordinary story of Eshete, who escaped Ethiopia’s civil war on foot as a young man and is now a devoted caretaker of a feral cat colony in Brooklyn. Eshete has become the heart of a close-knit community, despite living on the fringes. This intimate document is equally a portrait of community care with a supporting cast of New Yorkers who help care for the cats—and for each other.
Co-presented by Black Public Media
Milisuthando
Milisuthando Bongela, 2023, South Africa, 128m
English and Xhosa with English subtitles
Set in past, present, and future South Africa. An invitation into a poetic, memory-driven exploration of love, intimacy, race, and belonging by the filmmaker, who grew up during apartheid but didn’t know it was happening until it was over. Co-presented by Africa Is a Country
At All Kosts
Joseph Hillel, 2025, Canada, 86m
French and Haitian Creole with English subtitles
U.S. Premiere
At All Kosts offers an intimate look at a group of Haitian artists who use theater, dance, and music to resist the chaos of their times. Born after the Duvalier dictatorship and shaped by decades of political turmoil, natural disasters, and gang violence, they choose art as a lifeline and act of defiance. Centered around Port-au-Prince’s Festival Quatre Chemins, their stories blur the line between fiction and reality, transforming stages, streets, and sacred spaces into sites of resilience. Amid hunger, fear, and uncertainty, these performers bring forth another vision of Haiti—one of dignity, courage, and unrelenting creative power.
Kidnapping, Inc.
Bruno Mourral, 2024, France, Canada, 103m
Creole and French with English subtitles
The son of a wealthy presidential candidate has just been kidnapped. The kidnappers are demanding a hefty ransom. Doc and Zoe are two amateur gangsters-and soccer freaks-who must deliver the young man to their ruthless boss. Impulsive Zoe accidentally kills the candidate’s son. Faced with a terrible fate for killing their hostage, Doc and Zoe stumble upon Patrick and his nine-month-pregnant wife, Laura. The young couple must, at all costs, catch a flight out of Haiti to give birth in the US to get citizenship for their baby. Patrick’s great misfortune is that he looks exactly like the senator’s dead son. In the midst of a heated election and a Barça-Real classic match, Doc and Zoe find themselves at the center of a political conspiracy. Co-presented by Cinema Tropical
Shorts Program #1: The Ancestors Smile
A captivating collection of shorts that explore the powerful connections between tradition, identity, and legacy through personal stories, myth, and memory. Co-presented by The Black Art Vanguard
Ya Hanouni
Lyna Tadount, Sofian Chouaib, 2024, France, 3m
Arabic with English subtitles
While the Mom and the Dad try to put their baby to sleep, a competition arises between them: who will manage to get the baby to say the first word?
Dédé (Ancestor)
Yasmine Djedje-Fisher-Azoume, 2025, United Kingdom, 3m
English
North American Premiere
Yasmine Djédjé-Fisher-Azoumé’s Dédé (Ancestor)delves into diasporic female identity. Featuring animated copper relief engraving, the film is a journey into the feminine cosmology and folkloric traditions of the Ivory Coast and the Bété tribe, guided by feminine icons such as fertility carvings, masks,sculptures, mythological fables and deities
Tina, When Will You Marry?
Celestina Aleobua, 2024, Nigeria, Canada, 8m
English
New York Premiere
As she clocks 30, Tina’s faced with the sudden pressure to get married. By exploring the stories of three unconventional Nigerian-Canadian women, she decides to tune out the society and traditions that try to dictate what life should look like.
Hadu
Damilola Solesi, 2024, Nigeria, 7m
English
An eager young girl embarks on a culinary journey to recreate her grandma’s special recipe. Unfortunately, she ends up in a kitchen disaster, they reunite in the kitchen to relive cherished memories and create a perfect dish.
Bege (Yearning)
Umar Turaki, 2023, Nigeria, 14m
Hausa with English subtitles
When Sanda shows up at her front door years after their breakup, Amina plays the perfect host. As the conversation unfolds, they acknowledge the things that time has made plain. But do they have the courage to confront the elephant in the room? Bege (Yearning) shines a light on the oft-unspoken emotional toll that comes about when love falls out of bounds for medical reasons, and examines what happens when the body betrays the heart.
African Love Story
Fantagbe Camara, 2025, U.S., 2m
English
U.S. Premiere
This tender story not only celebrates family bonds and cultural pride but also sheds light on Black and African equestrians, honoring the rich and often overlooked history of African horse riders. By blending tradition and contemporary experiences, the film pays tribute to a legacy of strength, resilience, and connection through horseback riding.
When Rain Clouds Gather
Christian Nyampeta, 2024, Rwanda, U.S., 29m
English and French with English subtitles
In a fictional situation, three artist friends debate how to spend one of their few remaining Saturday nights in New York. Interpreted by artist and documentary filmmaker Maliyamungu Gift Muhande, artist and researcher Akeema-Zane, and Christian Nyampeta, their dialogue is centered around life’s little annoyances in the face of a world ablaze with unjust wars and cruel exterminations. Through improvisation and collaboration with theater maker and director Adrian Alea, their conversation draws from the works and ideas of Black and African writers and filmmakers who reflected on exile, social life, and urgent cultural action in the society of their time.
House of Aama: Threads of Legacy
Jamal Ademola, 2024, Ghana, U.S., 15m
English
After the loss of her father, Akua Shabaka and her mother, Rebecca Henry—the visionary duo behind the fashion label House of Aama—find solace and inspiration in their creative bond. Drawing from the Free Jazz movement, they craft a captivating new collection, Sun Records, which they debut at New York Fashion Week. As Akua recalls her father’s lineage from the Caribbean to Ghana, this evocative short documentary delves into their journey of resilience, and renewal, revealing the profound artistry that emerges from archives and ancestral reverence.
Pa’Lante
Karisma Jay, 2025, U.S., 18m
English and Spanish with English subtitles
World Premiere
In a world of endless victories on the track, PA’LANTE tells the story of Afro – Latina twin siblings who dominate every race except the most elusive one: navigating the complexities of being human.
Shorts Program #2: Ever Rising
A dynamic selection of shorts that explore personal journeys, intergenerational healing, and bold artistic expressions, from confronting trauma to celebrating revolutionary spirit and cultural resilience.
The Things We Don’t Say
Ornella Mutoni, 2024, United Kingdom, 21m
French with English subtitles
U.S. Premiere
30 years after the genocide that tore apart their mothers’ worlds, a group of young Rwandans confront the family secrets and the wounds their generation is carrying. They are led by therapist Emilienne, to break cycles of intergenerational trauma together.
The Adventures of Angostat
Resem Verkron, Marc Serena, 2025, Angola, Spain, 35m
Portuguese with English subtitles
World Premiere
In 2017, Angola launched its first satellite into space… and got lost. “The Adventures of Angosat” is a retelling of this dream. An indie musical film written and performed by Isis Hembe, one of the most renowned Angolan urban artists. It brings together upcoming artists from the streets of Cazenga (Luanda) in a unique one-shot fiction film.
The Rise of Azlan
Dui Jarrod, 2024, Tanzania, 23m
Swahili with English subtitles
World Premiere
In a city clinging to tradition, a young dreamer named Azlan dares to break free from the rigid expectations of his older brother and a life devoid of joy. But when a woman from across the ocean awakens his sense of wonder, Azlan must choose between the safety of home and the uncertain call of destiny.
Guardian of the Well
Bentley Brown, Tahir Ben Mahamat Zene, 2025, Chad, U.S., 6m
Arabic with English subtitles
Amid a historic drought in the southern reaches of Chad’s Sahara Desert, a well-goer recalls his lost cattle and contemplates his plans for a change in livelihood.
Speakn’ Trane
Shahkeem E Williams, 2024, U.S., 19m
English
Speakn’ Trane is a visual conversation exploring the revolutionary spirit behind John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme.” Through themes of meditation, nature, and Black musical cosmologies, the film honors Coltrane’s spiritual journey and his deep connection to Philadelphia—returning home to reclaim lost parts of himself, in the spirit of Sankofa.
Fighting Giants
Oluwaseun Babalola, 2025, Sierra Leone, U.S., 9m
English and Krio with English subtitles
U.S. Premiere
Inspired by true events, Abi has arrived in Sierra Leone to help her mother, Mama Amy, search for her missing sister in Freetown. When it’s time for Abi to carry the weight of the two, both women realize that they are not on this journey alone.
Mahammoud’s Mercedes
Ben Eager, 2025, Sweden, 7m
English
New York Premiere
A father tells his son a story from his past, where he ventures through various African countries, with unexpected encounters, to the heart of the Congo jungle in a Mercedes Benz.
BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC/FILMAFRICA
So Long A Letter
Angèle Diabang, 2025, Senegal, France, 104m
In French and Wolof with English subtitles
North American Premiere
Ramatoulaye, headmistress of a primary school in Dakar and the mother of seven children, has been married to Modou for 30 years, and is shocked when he decides to take a second wife, 20-year-old Binetou. A merciless battle between tradition and modernity ensues, contrasting very different views of women’s roles in contemporary African society. The debut feature film by Senegalese screenwriter and documentarian Angèle Diabang Brener is based on the 1979 novel of the same name by Senegalese writer Mariama Bâ, rated among the top 12 in a tally of Africa’s 100 Best Books of the 20th Century at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair in 2002.
After the Long Rains
Damien Hauser, 2023, Switzerland, Kenya, 91m
In Swahili with English subtitles
A 10-year-old girl in coastal Kenya dreams of moving to Europe to become an actress. Although children in her town are expected to follow in their parents’ footsteps, she hatches a plan to become a fisher so that she can sail overseas, and befriends an alcoholic neighbor who promises to teach her how to fish. After the Long Rains is the third feature film by Swiss-Kenyan director and musician Damien Hauser, who not only wrote, directed, produced, and edited, but also created the sound design.
Preceded by
Children of the Waves
Kezia Sakho, 2024, France, 7m
French with English subtitles
Three young friends from the Comorian and Senegalese diasporas in Marseille meet up after school as they always do. Amid their carefree laughter, a serious question suddenly emerges: “What do we want to be when we grow up?” This question sparks a deep conversation: a heartfelt exchange about their dreams and aspirations, as they dive into a boundless world of imagination. Through their childlike voices, they explore with innocence and honesty the infinite possibilities the future might hold.
When I Say Africa
Cassandra Herrman, 2024, Kenya, U.S., 72m
In English and Swahili with English subtitles
US Premiere
When I Say Africa unpacks the myths of the white savior complex as African storytellers, changemakers, and thinkers talk back to Western volunteers and journalists, exposing the power dynamics behind these portrayals. Sparked by filmmaker Cassandra Herrman’s reckoning with her own role in perpetuating Western stereotypes about the continent, When I Say Africa challenges viewers to confront the true cost of these misrepresentations, while showing how new generations are engaging with each other in more meaningful ways.
Preceded by
Underground Railroad Ride
Fiz Olajide, 2025, U.S., 12m
English
Underground Railroad Ride follows John “Bobby” Shackelford and his team on an 1,100-mile cycling journey through the American South. What begins as a physical challenge becomes a test of grit, resilience, and self-discovery. Facing extreme weather, mechanical failures, and racial realities, they find strength in each other. This gripping documentary explores endurance, freedom, and the power of reclaiming space. Co-presented by Africa Is a Country and Black Cinema Collective
The Night Still Smells like Gunpowder
Inadelso Cossa, 2024, Mozambique, France, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, 93m, Documentary
Tsonga and Portuguese with English subtitles
New York Premiere
Filmmaker Inadelso Cossa, a child during Mozambique’s civil war, gathers memories, sounds, images, and nightmares from former rebel fighters and surviving civilians to create a record of haunted, taboo history.
Hanami
Denise Fernandes, 2024, Switzerland, Portugal, Cape Verde, 97m
English, Capeverdian Creole, Japanese and French with English subtitles
On a remote volcanic island that everyone wants to leave, Nana has learned to stay. Her mother, Nia, who suffers from a mysterious illness, left the island soon after her birth. When Nana comes down with a high fever, she is sent to the foot of a volcano for treatment—and encounters a world suspended between dreams and reality. Years later, when Nana is a teenager, Nia returns. Directed and co-written by Denise Fernandes, born in Lisbon to Cape Verdean parents, Hanami won the Best Emerging Director Award and First Feature Awards – Special Mention at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival, and was honored at festivals in Chicago, Vancouver, São Paulo, and Carthage.
Khartoum
Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, Phil Cox, 2025, Sudan, United Kingdom, Germany, Qatar, 78m
Arabic with English subtitles
New York Premiere
Forced to leave Sudan for East Africa following the outbreak of war, five citizens of Khartoum—a civil servant, a tea lady, a resistance committee volunteer, and two young bottle collectors—reenact their stories of survival and freedom through dreams, revolution, and civil war. In 2022, Sudanese filmmakers Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy, and Timeea Ahmed joined with British director Phil Cox to chronicle the lives of their five participants. After a military coup, a war broke out that displaced over 10 million people, including the filmmakers and their subjects. Khartoum boldly demonstrates determination and invention borne out of necessity as the film team adapts their project to their new reality. Blending footage shot before their escape with imaginative green-screen sequences, the filmmakers create a safe space for their participants to share and process their experiences of conflict and exile—not without moments of hope and joy. The result is a singular, emotional, and personal journey into a devastating conflict that has gone underreported in the West.
Katanga: The Dance of Scorpions
Dani Kouyaté, 2024, Burkina Faso, 113m
Moore with English subtitles
New York Premiere
Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions is a bold adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a timeless, universal tale of power and ambition, by celebrated Burkinabé director Dani Kouyaté. Rendered in dramatic black and white, the film picks up after a failed conspiracy against the crown, when King Pazouknaam names his cousin Katanga as head of the armed forces. Pushed by his ambitious wife, Katanga kills the king and takes the throne—and then there is no deed too low to keep his power. Co-presented by Akoroko
Over the Bridge
Tolu Ajayi, 2023, Nigeria, 99m
English and Yoruba with English subtitles
Folarin is an accomplished investment banker with a beautiful wife and a life most people can only dream of. When a high-profile government project his company was hired to manage goes awry, he starts to question everything he’s ever known to be true. After going missing, he discovers himself in a remote fishing village and starts to put together the missing pieces—but will he ever find his way back home?
Preceded by
Brain Gain
Collins Akpapunam, 2024, Nigeria, 35m
English
Brain Gain sheds light on the exodus of talented professionals from Nigeria, exploring the complex factors driving this trend. Through poignant interviews and insightful analysis, Collins Akpapunam humanizes the statistics, revealing the personal costs of brain drain on individuals, families, and communities.
Kuxa Kanema: The Birth of Cinema
Margarida Cardoso, 2003, Mozambique, Portugal, 52m, Documentary
Portuguese with English subtitles
After 500 years of Portuguese colonial rule, Mozambique was one of the last African countries to gain independence. President Samora Machel’s first cultural act was to establish the National Institute of Cinema, which produced weekly newsreels—Kuxa Kanema—for and about the people. Mobile cinema units reminiscent of Aleksandr Medvedkin’s cine-trains traveled around the country to engage people with what it means to be free in an independent nation. When filmmaker Margarida Cardoso visited the institute, it was already in ruins, but she discovered newsreel footage in an abandoned building. Interviews with filmmakers who were involved with the institute—including Licínio Azevedo, Jose Cardoso, and Ruy Guerra—and sequences from the newsreels bear witness to the birth of Mozambique’s cinema in concert with the birth of the nation.
Preceded by
Making Manifest | A WESHHHSIDE TALE
Ahmad Cissé, 2025, U.S., 5m
English and Wolof with English subtitles
World Premiere
WESHHH.The Collective’s film debut is a nod to the origin of this collective of New York City-based African and Caribbean-descended artists and the importance of community spaces. Employing a non-linear storytelling style, various cinematic languages are used in this collective-oriented creation. Underscoring individuality along with cohesion, all group members shine in their own right—singularly and collectively. Co-presented by Third World Newsreel
Mueda, Memória e Massacre (Mueda, Memory and Massacre)
Ruy Guerra, 1979, Mozambique, 80m
Portuguese with English subtitles
Mueda, Memória e Massacre (Mueda, Memory and Massacre) depicts an anti-colonial work on memory: an annual theatrical re-enactment of the Mueda Massacre of June 16, 1960, which left over 600 peaceful demonstrators dead after Portuguese soldiers opened fire. Made by Ruy Guerra, a Portuguese-Brazilian director and screenwriter born in colonial Mozambique, the film is widely considered the nation’s first feature.
Preceded by
Gbroka
Hickmatu Leigh, 2024, Sierra Leone, 11m
Krio with English subtitles
New York Premiere
A heartfelt, thought-provoking cinematic journey diving into the rich tapestry of the Bondo culture, this touching film sheds light on the struggles faced by women, highlighting the pressures of tradition while advocating for their empowerment. Through poignant storytelling, it portrays the beauty of Sierra Leonean culture alongside the pain endured by women of all backgrounds. A raw depiction of the insecurity woven into the experiences of women as they navigate the complexities of tradition and identity, Gboroka aims to foster understanding and appreciation for diverse perspectives. Co-presented by Third World Newsreel
Granma Nineteen and the Soviet’s Secret
João Ribeiro, 2020, Portugal, Brazil and Mozambique, 94m
Portuguese with English subtitles
Adapted from the novel by esteemed Angolan author Ondjaki, this coming of age tale brings us into the multilayered world of Jaki, a young boy from a small coastal African village living in a cousin-filled house headed by his spunky grandmother Agnette. Jaki spends his days with best friends Pi and Charlita and they discover that a local construction site of a huge mausoleum guarded by Russians threatens to demolish their entire neighborhood. Their spirited efforts to foil this plan are met with the unanticipated involvement of a secretive Soviet. Co-presented by Cinema Tropical
Where There is Love, There is No Darkness
Stevan Lee Mraovitch, 2024, France, 77m
French with English subtitles
An undocumented Fulani delivery man in Paris faces the dangers of urban nightlife while trying to support his family in Senegal. Entangled in a smuggling ring, he must make tough choices to secure their future. Among indifferent customers and struggling workers, he forms an unexpected bond with a lonely elderly Parisian, whose friendship offers him a rare connection, reshaping his perspective on belonging.
Preceded by
With a Promise to Love you Deeply
Taylor Wren, 2024, U.S., 12m
New York Premiere
English
In order to retrieve the spirit of their mother, Jupiter and Saturn journey to a world without time and seek the metaphysical aid of Grandmother Moon.
Nteregu
Manuel Loureiro and Roger Mor, 2024, Portugal, 83m
Portuguese with English subtitles
North American Premiere
Nteregu is a visual and sonic journey through the music of Guinea-Bissau. From the rhythms of the Tina (traditional Guinean drum) and the communal spirit of the mandjuandadi to the tabancas of the griots and the dance floors of Europe, the film traces the evolution of Guinean music across centuries. Featuring ancestral instruments and rare testimonies, it shows how music serves as a bridge, passing down values and knowledge between generations. The film also highlights how women, through the Tina, laid the cultural foundation of the nation and helped unify diverse ethnic groups through music.
Preceded by
Sita Bella, The First
Eugenie Metala and Jean-Marie Téno, 2024, Cameroon, Documentary
French with English subtitles
An unmarked grave, a dilapidated cinema on the premises of a government ministry: this is what remains of Thérèse Sita-Bella’s passage on earth. And yet she was Cameroon’s first woman journalist, the first airline pilot, and one of Africa’s first filmmakers, whose film Tam Tam à Paris was shown at the first edition of FESPACO in 1969. Co-presented by Afropop
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Johan Grimonprez, 2024, Belgium, France, Netherlands, 150m
English, French and Dutch with English subtitles
United Nations, 1960: The Global South ignites a political earthquake, jazz musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita Khrushchev bangs his shoe, and the US State Department swings into action, sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to Congo to deflect attention from the CIA-backed coup. Director Johan Grimonprez captures the moment when African politics and American jazz collided in this magnificent essay film, a riveting historical rollercoaster that illuminates the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congo’s leader Patrice Lumumba. Richly illustrated by eyewitness accounts, official government memos, testimonies from mercenaries and CIA operatives, speeches from Lumumba himself, and a veritable canon of jazz icons, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat interrogates colonial history to tell an urgent and timely story of precedent that resonates more than ever in today’s geopolitical climate.
Shorts Program: No Place To Rest
A powerful collection of Sudanese shorts explores resilience, memory, revolution, and the inner lives of a people shaped by conflict and hope. Co-curated by Sarra Idris & Selma Idris
The Salon
Rafa Renas, 2023, Sudan, U.K, 25m
Arabic with English subtitles
New York Premiere
A beauty salon in Khartoum hides a secret and doubles as a space for women escaping violence.
Is It War?
Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, 2025, Sudan, 6m
Arabic with English subtitles
North American Premiere
Detached from his soul in a surreal journey through a forest, an artist clad in traditional attire navigates the chaos of his inner world and the war-torn reality of Sudan. As a member of the Sudanese diaspora, he mentally escapes the brutal truths of his homeland’s conflict. Through a series of visually striking and symbolic scenes, he expresses his inner turmoil and the profound impacts of war on all Sudanese people, regardless of their ethnicities and affiliations.
Bidaya
Mai Egizouli, 2019, Sudan, 5m
English
Traditional iconography and contemporary fashion meld in the music video award-winning film director and multidisciplinary artist Mai Elgizouli made for a song by her sister, Sudanese singer-songwriter Hiba Elgizouli, with styling by sister Sally Elgizouli. “Bidaya” (“Beginning”) was written just before the start of the revolution in Khartoum, when people in the city were desperate and helpless but held onto hope, and the visual style envisions a brighter future for Sudanese women in particular.
Journey to Kenya
Ibrahim Snoopy, 2020, Sudan, 29m
Arabic with English subtitles
Inspired by the soul of the Sudanese revolution, a Sudanese Jiu Jitsu team with no funding tried to travel in an old van to participate in a championship in Nairobi. The players were willing to cross three countries with not enough money, food or water—just the revolutionary spirit and their will to dedicate something to the martyrs of the Sudanese revolution of 2019.
Nothing Happens After That
Ibrahim Omar, 2024, Sudan, Egypt, 12m
Arabic with English subtitles
In a diligent attempt, Thomas seeks to find a final resting place for his only child, but he is surprised that today is not the right day to do so.
Shorts Program: Here Now and Back Again
Collected here for a special screening are shorts from the African Film Festival’s National Travelling Series, as well as additional African and diaspora shorts screening for the first time in New York.
Cape Town Royalty Program
Max Fouchee, 2023, South Africa, 7m, Mockumentary
English
An ad presenter has to sell the dream of the South African city Cape Town as a luxurious yet cost-effective new home to wealthy Europeans. Once she realizes her script is problematic, she tries her best to let the prospective audience know about the daily reality of Cape Town’s citizens.
Jeanne
Antoine Paley, 2023, France, 13m, Historical Drama
French with English subtitles
Jeanne Duval, the mixed-race muse and partner of Charles Baudelaire, has been forgotten by time and erased by history, but she refuses to remain silenced. In this short we see April 27, 1842: a day in the life of Duval and Baudelaire. As the day goes on, the weight of Baudelaire’s words and needs becomes increasingly difficult for Duval to bear.
The Many Moods of Muna Moto
Mohamed Challouf, 2022,Cameroon/Tunisia, 19m, Documentary
French with English subtitles
Filmed by Mohamed Challouf in 2022, this conversation between director Jean-Pierre Dikongué Pipa and cinema critic and filmmaker Férid Boughedir was made to accompany a Criterion Collection restoration of Pipa’s celebrated 1975 feature, Muna Moto.
Inheritance
Khaliyesa Barbara Minishi, 2024, Kenya, 12m
English and Swahili with English subtitles
New York Premiere
Kavaa has travelled upcountry to bury her grandfather, who disowned her when she was born out of wedlock 22 years earlier. At that awkward family reunion, she finds acceptance with the village madman, who catapults her into a liminal realm, where she can face off with her grandfather and rise above his rejection to find new self-esteem.
Breastmilk
Ifeyinwa Arinze, 2025, U.S./Nigeria, 16m
New York Premiere
Set in Lagos, Nigeria, and based on a short story by Pemi Aguda, Breastmilk follows a new mother, Aduke, who struggles to breastfeed her baby while navigating her tense relationship with her husband and managing her family’s expectations. In order to support her newborn child, she must confront her past.
Rachid
Rachida El Garani, 2023, Belgium, 18m,
Dutch and Arabic with English subtitles
North American Premiere
Rachid, a 21-year-old young man of Moroccan descent, has one goal: to find a job. He confidently applies to be a dishwasher in a restaurant, which to him seems like a job anyone can do. But it soon turns out that it’s not as simple as he imagined.
Back to the Theater Vox
Amina Awa Niang, 2024, Senegal, 22m
French and Wolof with English subtitles
North American Premiere
Mamadou and Junior would have everything it takes to be the best friends in the world if only their two grandfathers, a famous photographer and a novelist who used to be good friends, got along again. But because of an unfinished film they wanted to make together, they broke off their relationship, and their two families hold a bitter grudge. But Junior has an idea: what if he and Mamadou found their film and finished it themselves…
Shorts Program 2: Mysteries of the Heart
A collection of short films created by artists from Africa and the diaspora celebrate the intricacies of love. In as little as five minutes, these films open windows into worlds of the heart, from youthful aspiration to the regrets of old age, and from intimacies between adults to the complexities of family. Co-presented by BeReel Black Cinema Club
LESPRI
Jard Lerebours, 2024, U.S., 5m
English
An unnamed narrator uses found footage from his childhood in an attempt to paint a portrait of his father and their painful relationship.
A Quiet Monday
Dika Ofoma, 2023, Nigeria, 22m
English and Igbo with English subtitles
When the leader of a secessionist group in southeastern Nigeria is jailed, his loyalists mandate a compulsory “sit-at-home” on Mondays in protest. Siblings Kamnonu and Ogbonna face danger when they defy the Monday restrictions.
Baptized by Fire
Kach Offor, 2024, Nigeria, 15m
English
A seemingly regular visit to a dealer in the slums of Lagos takes an unexpected turn, forcing an anxious stoner on a different kind of trip.
Rotten Blood
Tarek El Sherbeny, 2024, Egypt, 12m
Arabic with English subtitles
In a conservative Cairo neighborhood, the life of a single mother with a sex addiction is turned upside down after her brother threatens to accuse her of adultery if she refuses to forfeit her ownership of their deceased father’s house.
The Incredible Sensational Fiancée of Sèyí Àjàyí
Abbesi Akhamie, 2024, U.S., Nigeria, 16m
English, Guinea Bissau Creole with English subtitles
New York Premiere
In the whimsical Pan-African society of Alkebulan, the brilliant yet overlooked scholar Dr. Constance Moumie discovers that her fiancé, Sèyí Àjàyí, is engaged to Princess Ada, throwing the town into a frenzy. With her bestie Bibi, Constance devises a daring plan to expose her unfaithful lover at his engagement ceremony, seeking both revenge and the recognition she has long deserved.
Kavalyé o dam
Sacha Teboul, 2024, France, 9m
French with English subtitle
Simon visits his grandmother, who is living with Alzheimer’s, at her nursing home. When he plays her an audio cassette he found, memories of her past in the West Indies resurface – taking her back to the night when her lover had to tell her he was being forced to leave for the Algerian war.
Sirius
Jean-Bastien Niyigaruye, 2024, Canada, 11m
French with English subtitles
Sirius, a lone star in the form of a dark-skinned man, has collapsed to earth. In what little space he finds on his host planet, he works to provide food and shelter for himself and his wife. When the firmament calls Sirius back one winter’s day, he takes the long way, leaving his wife behind.
Jean & I
Mirta Desir, 2024, U.S., 13m
English
Michelle, a 10-year-old survivor of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, attempts to escape both her past and her new home when she learns that her “new” family is not what it seems.
land.scape notes on exile
Berette S. Macaulay, 2025, U.S., France, Italy, Jamaica, Sierra Leone, 5m
English
New York Premiere
A poetic journey of rediscovery that routes us through shifting landscapes and waterways is guided by narrative reflections of a seeker who is mystically guided by Oshun, the venerated orisha of water and destiny.
Shorts Program 3: Africa’s Cultural Landmarks
Produced by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in collaboration with World Monuments Fund, this series of documentary shorts direct a local lens on some of Africa’s most notable cultural landscapes. Co-presented by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and World Monuments Fund
Benin City Earthworks, Nigeria
Sosena Solomon, 2023, U.S., 9m
English and Yoruba with English subtitles
World Premiere
Within modern Benin City lies a masterpiece of ancient urban planning. This striking documentary takes a look at the vast earthworks—extensive lengths of moats and ramparts once towering 18 meters high and stretching over 1,200 kilometers—that protected the Benin Kingdom’s capital, shaping its spiritual and political core. Through expert insights and local perspectives, the film touches on the challenges of preserving these structures amid current development. A powerful view of the legacy of innovation in West Africa.
Tsodilo Hills, Botswana
Sosena Solomon, 2023, U.S., 15m
English and Setswana with English subtitles
Amid the sweeping landscapes of Botswana’s Tsodilo Hills, this visually arresting documentary shares one of the world’s oldest artistic legacies. Through the insights of experts and the lived experiences of a San guide, the film takes a look at rock paintings that have endured for more than 75,000 years—evoking a deep cultural continuum between past and present. With careful attention to the interplay of art, environment, and meaning, the film offers a rich meditation on heritage, resilience, and the stewardship of an ancient site shaped by millennia of human expression.
Bronze Casters of Igun Street, Benin City, Nigeria
Sosena Solomon, 2023, U.S., 3m
English
World Premiere
To this day, Ìgùn Street of Benin City remains renowned as the mercantile center for the Ìgùn Ẹ́rọ̀nwwọ̀n (brass-casting guild). Captured through vivid cinematography, this documentary intimately follows a specialist who continues the tradition of lost-wax casting to produce an array of metalworks for royal and commercial clients. A visually compelling portrait, the film shows the delicate interplay of tradition, innovation, and community identity at the heart of West Africa’s celebrated brass-casting heritage.
Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia
Sosena Solomon, 2023, U.S., 8m
English and Amharic with English subtitles
World Premiere
Carved directly from volcanic rock, the eleven wondrous churches of Lalibela are monumental expressions of devotion and symbols of Ethiopia’s spiritual heartland. Visually captivating and rich with personal insights from priests entrusted with care of the churches, this documentary reveals how these sanctuaries—both magnificent and fragile—face the constant threat of erosion. Meet the dedicated guardians balancing conservation and sacred duty, ensuring that Lalibela’s living pilgrimage tradition thrives for generations to come.
Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, Madagascar
Sosena Solomon, 2023, U.S., 9m
English, French and Malagasy with English subtitles
World Premiere
Set atop Madagascar’s Central Highlands, the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga has long stood as a sacred fortress for the Merina monarchy and a sanctuary revered by generations. Blending stunning cinematography with thoughtful local reflections, this documentary immerses viewers in a living landscape that continues to resonate with contemporary Malagasy who visit seeking blessings, protection, and renewal from royal ancestors. Narratives from Malagasy historians illuminate how Ambohimanga’s legacy endures, shaping contemporary identities and serving as a powerful connection between past and present.
Providence Island, Liberia
Sosena Solomon, 2023, U.S., 7m
English
World Premiere
Providence Island holds a significant place in the histories of the United States and Liberia. This small island is the site of connection between the island’s original residents and formerly enslaved and freeborn American settlers who first arrived in 1822. In this documentary, experts explain how social tensions dating to that beginning led to a devastating civil war in more recent history and neglect of this important cultural heritage site. The film centers insightful personal narratives and highlights the efforts currently underway to preserve Providence Island as an urban park, and how the site promises to play a role in furthering national reconciliation.
Historic Towns of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara, Tanzania
Sosena Solomon, 2023, U.S., 10m
English and Swahili with English subtitles
World Premiere
Off the coast of present-day Tanzania, Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara are testament to centuries of global cultural exchange and maritime wealth. Built from coral stone and shaped by Swahili, Arab, Persian, and Indian influences, the architectural remains of these cities have endured continuous erosion from rising sea levels, wind, and sand. Through powerful visual storytelling and thoughtful local perspectives, this documentary shares the initiatives to preserve these historic mosques and palaces for future generations.
Rock-Hewn Churches of Tigray, Ethiopia
Sosena Solomon, 2023, U.S., 9m, Documentary
English and Tigrinya with English subtitles
World Premiere
High in Ethiopia’s Northern Highlands, the rock-hewn churches of Tigray stand as breathtaking sanctuaries of faith carved into sandstone cliffs. For centuries, some 120 such structures, along with the paintings and artifacts preserved within their walls, were protected by their remote locations. However, during the 2020-22 war in Tigray, some churches were targeted, and the use of heavy weapons resulted in vibrations that caused cracks in the stone. Through evocative imagery and intimate testimonies, this documentary explores the endurance of these remarkable sites of devotion, as local priests reflect on the spiritual and cultural legacies at risk.
Great Zimbabwe
Sosena Solomon, 2023, U.S., 7m, Documentary
English
World Premiere
Great Zimbabwe, the largest medieval stone complex in sub-Saharan Africa, is a remarkable feat of engineering. Through striking cinematography, meet the masonry team responsible for maintaining the Great Zimbabwe complex—constructed from dry stone masonry—and hear from specialists committed to preserving the surviving archaeological landscape.
ST. NICHOLAS PARK
Outdoors Screening
May 31
Sadrack
Narcisse Wandji, 2023, Cameroon, 94m
French with English subtitles
Bayo, 70, and his son Franck in Yaoundé navigate Bayo’s increasing memory loss. Franck hires Rachel, a student facing health issues, to help. Despite initial challenges, Rachel forms a special bond with Bayo. As they navigate Bayo’s condition, Franck comes to terms with the diagnosis, and Rachel finds support in their bond.
Preceded by
Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, Nigeria
Sosena Solomon, 2023, U.S., 12m
English
The Ọṣun-Òṣogbo Sacred Grove is a vibrant center of Yorùbá spirituality and creative expression in southwestern Nigeria that welcomes thousands of worshipers and visitors each year. In this documentary, striking cinematography brings you among the shrines and sculptures produced during the New Sacred Art movement of the 1960s that form a living cultural monument. Meet the artists responsible for transferring their traditions to a new generation dedicated to preserving the site’s artistic heritage.
And
Echoes of the Lake
Nico Muñoz, 2024, Argentina, 3m
Spanish with English subtitles
On the shores of Lake Poopó in Bolivia, an ancient culture remains resilient in the face of climate change. In early September 2023 I set out on a journey to film a documentary for the ARTE network. During my visit I witnessed the gradual drying up of the Desaguadero river, which serves as the main tributary to Bolivia’s second largest lake. This drying trend has occurred in recent years due to mining, agriculture and urban expansion along its course towards a lake that now exists only in memory. In a small community on the banks of what was once their source of life, 14 families of the Uru ethnic group remain, embodying the consequences of a world that demands more and more resources to sustain an ever-expanding way of life. It is difficult to imagine a world without mining and technology, but a world without water is simply impossible.