125th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION EDITION OF FILM AFRICA

THE ROYAL AFRICAN SOCIETY ANNOUNCES THE OPENING OF ITS 13TH EDITION OF FILM AFRICA, CELEBRATING THE 125th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOCIETY, AT BFI SOUTHBANK WITH FILMS FROM ACROSS AFRICA, AND SYMPOSIA INCLUDING TWENDE: AFRICAN WOMEN AND CINEMA

125th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION EDITION OF FILM AFRICA

23 October – 1 November 2026

Now in its 13th year, this year’s edition of Film Africa celebrates the 125th Anniversary of the Royal African Society which was founded in 1901. Film Africa, the Society’s annual celebration of African cinema, returns to London from 23 October to 1 November 2026, bringing together a vibrant selection of new voices, established filmmakers and essential works from across Africa and its diasporas. The theme for this year’s festival is: ‘125 Years of Storytelling and Movie Making in Africa’.

Opening and closing at BFI Southbank, the festival will present films and events at venues across London and beyond, including the Rio Cinema, The Lexi Cinema, Ebonylife Cinema, Cine Lumiere, Riverside Studios, Watershed in Bristol, Utopia Cinema in Sheffield and Plymouth Arts Cinema. The programme spans contemporary features, documentaries and shorts, alongside special retrospectives and conversations that explore the histories, experiences, and creative possibilities of African cinema.

OPENING FILM: BEN’IMANA

Film Africa 2026 opens at BFI Southbank on 23 October with Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo’s BEN'IMANA, a powerful Rwandan drama exploring justice, reconciliation, memory, and the complex process of rebuilding lives in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Set in Rwanda in 2012, the film follows Vénéranda, a survivor who works to facilitate dialogue between victims and the families of perpetrators. Her commitment to reconciliation is profoundly tested when she discovers that her daughter is unexpectedly pregnant, compelling her to confront the limits and contradictions of her own convictions.

BEN’IMANA won the Caméra d’Or at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, making Dusabejambo the first Rwandan director to premiere a film in the Cannes Official Selection. Its opening at Film Africa reflects the festival’s continuing commitment to cinema that confronts difficult histories while opening new perspectives on Africa and its contemporary realities.

CLOSING FILM: LADY

The festival closes at BFI Southbank on 1 Novemberwith Olive Nwosu’s LADY, a vibrant and emotionally resonant portrait of female friendship, solidarity, and survival in contemporary Lagos.

Set in the restless heart of the city, LADY follows a fiercely independent young cab driver whose encounter with a collective of sex workers opens up a new world of sisterhood. As exuberance and freedom collide with violence and social exclusion, the women create a fragile sanctuary shaped by humour, tenderness, and resilience.

Through these relationships, Nwosu offers an intimate portrait of belonging, self-possession, and liberation, while capturing the energy and contradictions of Lagos. Born in Lagos and now based in London, Nwosu is an award-winning screenwriter and director whose work represents an important new voice in contemporary African cinema.

TWENDE: AFRICAN WOMEN AND CINEMA

At the heart of Film Africa 2026 is TWENDE: African Women and Cinema, a major symposium taking place at BFI Southbank on 24 October.

Bringing together filmmakers, producers, scholars, critics, and other leading practitioners, TWENDE examines the evolving contribution of African women to cinema, both in front of and behind the camera. The symposium will explore questions of authorship, production, representation, film history, preservation, and the future of African women’s cinema.

TWENDE will create a space for dialogue between generations, recognising pioneering filmmakers whose contributions have too often been overlooked while celebrating a new generation reshaping African cinema.

TWENDE meaning “let us go” in Swahili, is conceived as both a reflection on where African women’s cinema has come from and a forward-looking conversation about where it is heading.

Together with the festival’s programme of features, documentaries, and shorts, TWENDE reflects Film Africa’s commitment to presenting African cinema not simply as a collection of films, but as a dynamic space for dialogue, discovery, memory, and exchange. A CELEBRATION OF AFRICAN CINEMA

Other highlights: Among the festival highlights is a special screening and conversation celebrating the work of Tunisian filmmaker, critic, historian, and scholar Ferid Boughedir at the Cine Lumiere. His pioneering documentaries Caméra d’Afrique and Caméra Arabe remain landmark works in the study of African and Arab cinemas, combining historical documentation with Boughedir’s distinctive critical perspective.

Over ten days, Film Africa 2026 will present a diverse programme of contemporary features, documentaries, and shorts from across Africa and the diaspora, bringing audiences into conversation with filmmakers and exploring themes including memory, migration, identity, labour, gender, political history, and social change.

The programme includes work from filmmakers working across different generations, countries, languages, and cinematic traditions, reaffirming Film Africa's role as a vital platform for African filmmaking in the UK.

From the urgent questions of memory and reconciliation raised by BEN’IMANA to the female solidarity and resilience at the heart of LADY, this year's festival places African filmmakers and their distinctive perspectives firmly at the centre.

Commenting on the festival, the CEO & Director of the Royal African Society, Stella Okuzu FRSAstated, “This year’s edition of Film Africa is where the past, present and future of African cinema meet. Through an extraordinary collection of films and archival material, carefully curated by our curator Keith Shiri and his team, we are celebrating Africa’s cinematic heritage while shining a spotlight on the bold, diverse and exciting future of African storytelling.”

Film Africa 2026 runs from 23 October to 1 November 2026.

Further programme announcements, screening times, filmmaker appearances, and ticket information will be announced shortly.