Lights, Camera, Action, As Borno Hosts Northern Nigeria Film Festival

Northern Nigeria will welcome a new international film festival come November 2024.

The Trans Africa International Film Festival which was announced earlier in April, is scheduled to take place between November 26 to 30, 2024, in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The festival director, Nixon Wayas Ayuba , said the festival aims to highlight the varied talent and creativity of African filmmakers, foster collaboration and cultural exchange, as well as  promote in-depth understanding of the African cinema on a global scale.It will feature a curated selection of films ranging from feature, to short and documentaries that will screen at the event; in addition to, the usual audio-visual activities as panel discussions, masterclasses, youth mentorship programme and an investment forum are also streamed lined .

It is aimed at providing filmmakers with the requisite tools and resources to develop their craft and navigate the industry.

The current wave of the film festival in the north, began seven years in September 2018, with the Israel Audu Kahim’s founded Kaduna International Film Festival (KADIFF). The Kano Indigenous Languages of Africa Film Market and Festival (KILAF) followed in quick succession in November of the same year.  Six years after comes the Trans Africa International Film Festival (TAIFF).

These are all welcome developments. However, while it is important to have as many platforms to promote local & African stories and filmmakers, there is need to pay attention to vast genres of films like thriller, horror, supernatural, sci-fi, animation etc. which is conspicuously missing in many of our film festivals.

Hence, the need for niche festivals that are also open to the usual film genres or categories.