By Josephine Agbonkhese

This year’s edition themed ‘Indigenous 2.0 Global’, according to Ude, who spoke at a media parley Friday in Lagos, is a follow-up to last year’s theme.

“‘Indigenous 2.0 Global’ was the theme last year, but in 2022, I learnt a lot about how unprepared we are. To be very prepared, we expanded on our panels, on our judges, on everything we are bringing in, to ready us for that global market,” she told Allure.

She further revealed that a lot had been put into preparing the festival, which has, for over a decade, yearly created an avenue for celebrating and promoting Africa’s storytelling through film; bringing together Africa’s finest filmmakers and actors, creating a platform for them to showcase their work, and enhancing cultural collaboration within the industry.

Admonishing more filmmakers and key stakeholders in the industry to place premium on setting up the next generation for success through vital collaboration, the renowned film promoter reiterated that community over competition would be her personal mainstay for a long time.

In her remark, Head of PR & Media, AFRIFF 2023, Latasha Ngwube, stated that the African film scene has continued to improve rapidly, and that the 12th edition of AFRIFF would be seeking to further etch Africa’s talents on the global stage.

“It is a pleasure to have witnessed the evolution and growth of the African film industry through creative storytelling that has impacted many across the world. This year, the festival is imbibing the theme ‘Indigenous 2.0 Global’.

“It is the next step in our quest to showcase more of what we have to the world. As talents continue to spring up across the continent, we are confident of what is about to come,” she said.

Award-winning Hollywood Producer and Member of Jury, AFRIFF 2023, Stephen ‘Dr.’ Love, revealed his delight at being a part of the event, also noting that there was a lot of potential in African cinema.

“A lot of Nigerian filmmakers and filmmakers across the continent are really special storytellers. I am really excited to be a part of the event, and connect with some of the filmmakers. I am excited to share all I can.”