As African films gain more visibility on the global festival circuit, festivals on the continent may need to prove their industry value beyond screenings, awards and cultural symbolism.
African cinema’s growing presence at major international film festivals is creating a new question for the continent’s own festival ecosystem: if more African films are finding global platforms, what role should African film festivals now play?
The answer is not that African film festivals are irrelevant.
They remain important cultural spaces. Across the continent, festivals have helped preserve film culture, platform emerging filmmakers, introduce audiences to new stories, support debate and give African films a public life beyond private screenings and commercial releases. Festivals like FESPACO are part of the history of African cinema, while festivals in Accra, Lagos, Durban, Marrakech, Luxor and elsewhere continue to offer spaces for filmmakers to meet, screen and be recognised.
But the value conversation is changing.
For many filmmakers, a festival selection is no longer only about prestige. It is about what that selection can unlock. Visibility, press, distribution, funding, sales interest, travel opportunities, critical attention, industry access and career mobility now matter as much as the screening itself.
That is where global festivals continue to hold significant appeal.
Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, Sundance, Tribeca and other major festivals offer more than symbolic recognition. They come with an ecosystem: international press, programmers, distributors, sales agents, funders, critics, buyers and industry networks. For filmmakers working in countries where film infrastructure is still weak, that kind of access can be career-shaping.
The recent example of My Father’s Shadow is instructive. In 2025, the Akinola Davies Jr.-directed film became the first Nigerian film selected for Cannes’ official lineup. Reuters reported that Mubi acquired rights to distribute the film, while Davies said African stories are out there, but “they need to be able to get to festivals like Cannes to be seen.”
That statement captures the bigger issue. For many African filmmakers, global festivals represent more than validation. They represent visibility and access to the next opportunity.
The same logic applies to African films that win or screen at festivals like Tribeca. The award is important, but the larger value is what comes after: who sees the work, who writes about it, who programmes it next, who funds the next project and whether the film can travel beyond one screening.
This is the value gap African festivals must now confront.
Many African film festivals still matter culturally, but cultural relevance is not always the same as industry relevance. A filmmaker today is asking questions beyond, “Will my film screen?”
They are asking: Who will be in the room? Will the press cover it? Will distributors attend? Will this help raise money? Will this lead to another festival? Will it move the film beyond one screening? Will it create real audience or industry momentum?
Too often, the answer is unclear.
This is not always the fault of festival organisers. Many African festivals operate inside film ecosystems that are still underdeveloped. Public funding is limited, film commissions are absent or underpowered in many markets, distribution remains fragmented, cinema access is uneven and policy support is inconsistent.
As a result, festivals are often expected to carry far more than they realistically can. They are expected to be exhibition platforms, markets, audience developers, industry conveners, press engines, cultural institutions and funding bridges, often without the infrastructure needed to support those roles.
That contradiction exposes a larger problem. African cinema has talent, ambition and global potential, but potential is not infrastructure.
UNESCO’s mapping of Africa’s film and audiovisual industries found that the sector already employs an estimated 5 million people and contributes about US$5 billion to GDP, with the potential to generate 20 million jobs and US$20 billion in annual revenue if properly supported. The numbers point to opportunity, but they also underline the gap between creative potential and the systems needed to sustain it.
For African film festivals, the challenge is not to copy Cannes, Tribeca or Sundance. The challenge is to clarify their own value.
African festivals have something global festivals do not always have: proximity to local culture, access to African audiences, language, context, regional networks, institutional memory and the ability to build film culture from the ground up. But that power has to be organised.
A strong African festival should not only be judged by the quality of its lineup. It should also be judged by what it makes possible for the films and filmmakers it selects.
Does it connect filmmakers to press? Does it bring distributors, streamers, broadcasters or funders into the room? Does it help films travel to other festivals or markets? Does it build audiences beyond the festival week? Does it create documentation, criticism and industry conversation around the films it screens?
These questions are becoming harder to avoid.
Private companies also need to understand film festivals as more than charity or cultural goodwill. Festivals can support tourism, youth culture, national image, creative economy development and professional networks. But festivals must also present their value in ways sponsors, partners and institutions can clearly understand.
The same applies to streamers, broadcasters and platforms. Netflix, Showmax, Canal+, MultiChoice, Prime Video, YouTube and local broadcasters all benefit from African screen talent. Their role in the festival ecosystem should not only begin when a finished film is ready for acquisition. They can help build the pipeline through labs, pitch sessions, acquisition prizes, distribution clinics, post-production support, student showcases and filmmaker development programmes.
The media has a role too. Too much festival coverage still focuses on opening ceremonies, red carpets, dignitaries and award nights. African festivals need more criticism, interviews, essays, viewing guides, business reporting and serious cultural debate. A film that screens without review, analysis or follow-up can disappear almost as quickly as it appeared.
This is why African film festivals themselves must evolve.
It is no longer enough to select films, host panels, give awards and publish event photos. A serious festival must be able to answer a basic industry question: what does a filmmaker gain from being selected?
African film festivals are not irrelevant. But some are at risk of becoming ceremonial in a moment that demands utility.
The filmmakers coming up now are clear-eyed. They are not only looking for applause. They are looking for access, visibility, distribution, press, funding, travel, networks, recognition and a path to the next film.
If global festivals are offering that more clearly, African festivals must take the challenge seriously.
The question is not whether African film festivals matter. They do.
The question is whether they matter enough in the ways filmmakers and audiences now need them to.
What This Means
African film festivals are entering a new phase. Their cultural importance is no longer enough on its own. To remain relevant in a globalising African cinema landscape, festivals on the continent will need to become more useful, better connected and more institutionally organised.
If they remain isolated events built around personalities rather than strong systems, they will struggle.
But if they become part of a larger film-viewing and industry-building culture, they can remain one of the most important tools Africa has for shaping its screen future.
