Kaduna International Film Festival (KADIFF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Uganda’s Pearl International Film Festival (PIFF) to deepen cooperation, promote cultural exchange, and strengthen the growth of African cinema.
This collaboration builds on the growing participation and success of Ugandan filmmakers at KADIFF since 2022. Ugandan films have consistently stood out—earning multiple awards, including the highest number in 2024, and leading in the number of entries submitted to the festival this year.
The partnership aims to foster mutual understanding between Nigerian and Ugandan creatives through cultural exchanges, capacity-building initiatives, and joint film productions. It also seeks to enhance cinematic cooperation and expand the global reach of African cinema.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP Weekend, Israel Kashim Audu, Founder of KADIFF and Vice President of the Nigeria Film Festival Association (NFFA), explained that the MoU covers several areas of collaboration.
These include the promotion of Nigerian, Ugandan, and broader African cultural film categories, training and re-training of filmmakers, joint productions during the festivals, and coordinated efforts to promote African cinema in Europe.
Audu emphasised that while the vision is ambitious, its success will depend on adequate funding and government support—particularly in Nigeria, where institutional backing for creatives remains a work in progress.
Rather than relying solely on government interventions such as the recently introduced Creative Economy Development Fund (CEDF), the Kaduna International Film Festival (KADIFF) is leveraging its network and partnerships with non-governmental and financial institutions—such as Afreximbank—to drive its initiatives forward.
“Afreximbank recently launched a $1 billion African Film Fund, which we intend to take advantage of. In addition, KADIFF has approached the bank for a specific partnership,” said Israel Kashim Audu, Founder of KADIFF. “Our Ugandan counterpart already enjoys stronger government support—two of their filmmakers were sponsored by the Ugandan Communications Commission to attend KADIFF.”.
