AFRIFF 15 Film Festival Runs 1 to 7 November in Lagos

NIGERIA · FILM · FESTIVAL GUIDE

The 15th Africa International Film Festival, known as AFRIFF, runs from Sunday 1 November to Saturday 7 November 2026 in Lagos, Nigeria. It opens with a gala and screening on 1 November and closes with the Globe Awards, the festival’s annual prizes, on 7 November.

Seven days of screenings are spread over three Filmhouse cinemas on Victoria Island and in Lekki, while the festival’s industry market takes over a waterfront complex in Lekki from 2 to 5 November. Festival passes are listed on the Liveet ticketing platform although the festival’s own page says prices are still to be announced, while the masterclasses are free with registration and the industry badges are priced in US dollars.

Naira figures in this guide use 1,332 naira to the US dollar, the closing rate on Friday 16 October 2026. The festival’s September announcement said that screening times and ticket details would follow in the coming weeks.

What AFRIFF Is and Why It Matters

AFRIFF was founded in Lagos in 2010 by Chioma Ude and describes itself as the platform where African storytellers meet the international film business. Its website says 21,000 spectators came through the doors at last year’s edition.

This year’s theme, Frames of the Future: Africa’s Creative Intelligence, looks at the new business models, formats and trends reshaping African and global film. One of the free masterclasses, led by Obinna Okerekeocha, the founder of the Nigerian AI Film Festival, covers artificial intelligence in storytelling.

Lagos sits at the heart of Nollywood, Nigeria’s film industry, which the festival’s market guide calls one of the highest-volume film industries in the world. The market’s organisers say Nigerian box office grew 35% in 2025 and that the number of screens rose from 218 to 369 since 2019.

The market, known as AFCM for AFRIFF Film and Content Market, held its first edition in November 2025 with more than 700 participants from over 40 countries. The second edition expects more than 1,500 participants and lists delegations from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, South Africa and Kenya, among others.

The Week Day by Day

Sunday 1 November is the Opening Gala and screening, and the opening movie on the festival’s programme page is Lady. Monday 2 November starts the Cinema Across Borders day of screenings and industry sessions, and Tuesday 3 November, called New Voices, covers shorts, animation and masterclasses.

Wednesday 4 November is Women in Film, with panels, screenings and networking, and Thursday 5 November, called Made in Africa, focuses on co-productions and market spotlights. Friday 6 November is AFRIFF x CANEX WKND, a day of music, culture and creator showcases run with CANEX, the creative-economy programme of the African Export-Import Bank.

Saturday 7 November closes the festival with the Globe Awards and a closing party. Last year’s winners included To Adaego With Love for best feature film and The Eyes of Ghana for best documentary.

The programme page lists 68 films in seven categories, and its special presentations include The Traitor by Marco Bellocchio, Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier and If I Go Will They Miss Me by Walter Thompson-Hernandez. A jury of ten film and cultural professionals, announced on 9 October, will judge the competition.

Venues in Victoria Island and Lekki

Screenings take place at three Filmhouse cinemas: Filmhouse Landmark at Landmark Village, 4 Water Corporation Drive, Victoria Island, and Filmhouse Twinwaters and Filmhouse The Palms Mall, both in Lekki. The festival says the assignment of films to cinemas will follow the official schedule, so no screening can be pinned to a cinema yet.

The industry market sits at Twinwaters, an oceanfront complex off Remi Olowude Street in Lekki, where a suite called The Maradiva offers 1,000 square metres across five halls. Twinwaters also houses a Filmhouse cinema and restaurants, including The View Rooftop on the fifth floor.

Murtala Muhammed International Airport is the arrival point for long-haul flights, and the festival puts the road trip to the venues at 45 to 90 minutes depending on traffic. The market’s delegate guide routes the drive over the Third Mainland Bridge and onto the Lekki-Epe Expressway.

Tickets, Badges and Free Masterclasses

The festival says its Festival Access pass covers every screening from 1 to 7 November and is open to everyone, with no professional credentials needed. The Liveet checkout behind it lists a Week Pass for 35,000 naira (about US$26), or US$40 when paid in dollars, and a Day Pass for 10,000 naira (about US$7.50), although the festival’s ticket page still says prices will be announced soon.

The checkout attaches the Week Pass to the Opening Night Gala on 1 November and to the screening days of 2 to 6 November, and it lists no ticket for the Globe Awards night on 7 November. It calls the Week Pass a five-day pass, so anyone planning to attend the closing night should ask the festival what the pass covers before paying.

All ten masterclasses and workshops are free and need a registered seat, but although the festival says registration has started, the Liveet checkout marked its free Masterclass ticket, capped at 500, as sold out on 19 October. The sessions include acting with the actor and producer Richard Mofe-Damijo, producing with Femi Adebayo, acting for the screen with Hilda Dokubo and cinematography with Kirby Griffin.

Market badges are for film professionals only, and applications are reviewed within 48 to 72 hours. The basic Blue badge costs US$150 until 20 October, US$250 from 21 to 26 October and US$300 from 27 October.

The Green industry badge costs US$300, US$375 or US$450 on the same schedule, and the Black VIP badge costs US$400, US$550 or US$700. African companies and holders of passports from the ECOWAS bloc of West African states get 30% off, and checkout runs on the Liveet ticketing platform.

Festival passes can be refunded up to 24 hours before the festival begins, but not during the seven festival days. Anyone flying in should treat that rule as firm and book flights that can be changed.

What It Means for You

US citizens need a Nigerian visa and must get it before they travel, and the State Department says the passport must be valid for six months beyond the arrival date. The festival recommends the Nigeria Immigration Service’s online e-visa portal, where approval typically arrives by email within 48 hours as a QR-coded letter to print and show at passport control in Lagos.

Registered delegates can ask the festival for an invitation letter, and the market’s guide says the hotel booking must be made before the e-visa application. The market also sells an express visa service from US$100 on top of the visa fee, with a promised turnaround of under five days.

All travellers over nine months old must show yellow fever and polio vaccination certificates on arrival, and the State Department urges malaria prophylaxis for every visitor. It also advises travel insurance with medical evacuation cover, because many hospitals demand payment up front and most do not accept US health insurance.

The State Department rates Nigeria Level 3, reconsider travel, in an advisory issued on 12 June 2026, and Lagos is not on its Level 4 do-not-travel list. It warns that muggings, car-jackings and kidnappings are common, that unauthorised taxis are used by robbers, and that app-based ride-shares are safer than street taxis.

The same advisory says US emergency help is limited outside Abuja and Lagos and their surroundings, and it advises avoiding public transport anywhere in Nigeria. Visitors can enrol in the US government’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive embassy alerts.

American film professionals have a place at the market, which lists the United States among its confirmed country delegations. ThisDay, a Nigerian newspaper, reported on 16 October that the US Mission in Nigeria will show 10 American features as part of its participation in the festival, a programme the festival’s own pages do not yet detail.

The festival advises booking flights that arrive by 31 October, the day before the Opening Gala, since flights from North America and Europe usually land after 9 p.m. and badges are collected before opening night. Traffic on the Lekki and Victoria Island corridor peaks roughly from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. and from 4 to 8 p.m., and the market’s guide, which puts the morning peak at 7 to 10 a.m., warns that the airport drive can take up to 2.5 hours at those times.

Uber, Bolt and inDrive all work in Lagos, and the festival suggests setting the pick-up point at each venue’s designated ride-hailing zone. It also advises leaving three to four hours of margin before a departure flight, because the airport road can be dense with traffic.

The market lists three partner hotels, The Art Hotel Lagos in Oniru, Black Diamond Hotel on Victoria Island and Radisson Blu Ikeja near the airport, from US$300 a night on average, with breakfast not included. Cash is useful, as the State Department says few businesses accept foreign cards and ATM withdrawals are capped at 20,000 naira (about US$15) per transaction and 100,000 naira (about US$75) a day.

What Is Not Known

The festival has not confirmed on its own pages what a Festival Access pass costs, so the Liveet prices could change, and it has not published the screening time of each film. It has also not said which of its three Filmhouse cinemas will host the Opening Gala, or whether a ticket will be sold for the Globe Awards night.

The visa fee for a US citizen is not shown in the festival’s materials, so travellers should check the official portal before paying. Dates and times for the free masterclasses, festival rates for ordinary visitors and the shuttle timetable are also still to be published.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is AFRIFF 15 in Lagos?

AFRIFF 15 runs from Sunday 1 November to Saturday 7 November 2026 in Lagos, Nigeria. The industry market runs from Monday 2 to Thursday 5 November at Twinwaters in Lekki.

How do I get tickets for AFRIFF 15?

Festival passes are listed on the Liveet ticketing platform at 35,000 naira (about US$26) for a Week Pass and 10,000 naira (about US$7.50) for a Day Pass, although the festival’s own page still says prices will be announced soon. Masterclasses are free with registration on the festival website, and industry market badges are sold online through the Liveet platform.

Do US citizens need a visa to attend AFRIFF in Lagos?

Yes, US citizens need a Nigerian visa before they travel, and the festival recommends the official e-visa portal, where approval typically arrives within 48 hours. The passport must be valid for six months beyond arrival, and travellers must carry yellow fever and polio vaccination certificates.

Sources: Africa International Film Festival, AFRIFF 15 official site (home, tickets, schedule, programme, venues, travel and visa, masterclasses), AFRIFF Film and Content Market, official site and International Delegates Guide, Liveet, AFRIFF Festival 15th edition Festival Pass checkout, Twinwaters Lagos, Filmhouse Cinemas Nigeria, ThisDay, AFRIFF 2026 selection report, 16 October 2026, US Department of State, Nigeria travel advisory, issued 12 June 2026, Nigeria Immigration Service e-visa portal. All retrieved 19 October 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief