Zanzibar’s Film Festival Puts AI at the Centre of African Storytelling

Africa · Culture

The Zanzibar film festival 2026 runs June 24 to 28 with 65 films selected from more than 400 submissions across 100-plus countries — and a theme, “AI and the Art of Storytelling”, that drops East Africa’s biggest screen event into the middle of cinema’s fiercest argument.

East Africa’s biggest screen event

The Zanzibar International Film Festival returns for its 29th season from June 24 to 28, The Citizen reported. Founded in the late 1990s, ZIFF has grown into East Africa’s largest film and arts event, drawing filmmakers and audiences to Stone Town each year.

This year’s programme spans 65 officially selected works across feature fiction, documentary, short film, television drama and animation. The selection came from a field of more than 400 submissions originating in over 100 countries.

An AI theme the industry is fighting over

The 2026 theme, “AI and the Art of Storytelling”, examines how artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape filmmaking, content creation and audience experience. Festival workshops will tackle AI in filmmaking alongside financial literacy for creatives, digital content production and distribution, per The Citizen.

Putting AI at the centre of an African festival is a pointed choice while writers, actors and animators worldwide argue over the technology’s place in cinema. For low-budget African productions, the same tools that worry Hollywood unions can collapse the cost of effects, dubbing and post-production.

International industry figures expected in Stone Town include Lisa Russell, an Emmy-winning filmmaker, alongside creatives and facilitators from across the continent.

Uganda’s breakout year

The regional submission numbers tell their own story. Uganda led East Africa with 50 films entered, ahead of host nation Tanzania with 45 and Kenya with 23.

Kampala’s production scene has been building for years on low-cost digital workflows and a young audience, and ZIFF 2026 is its clearest regional showcase yet. The British-Ugandan feature “Small Gods”, directed by Asher Rosen and produced by Jack Pollington, opens the festival, per MBU.

What to expect in Stone Town

Screenings centre on the Old Fort, the 17th-century stone landmark whose open-air amphitheatre gives the festival one of world cinema’s more atmospheric venues. Stone Town itself, a UNESCO World Heritage site, doubles as the festival’s backdrop and supporting cast.

For travellers, the festival coincides with Zanzibar’s dry season, the most comfortable window to visit the archipelago. Festival programme details and tickets are published by ZIFF ahead of the June 24 opening.

The festival’s top honours, the Golden Dhow awards, are named for the sailing vessels that made Zanzibar a crossroads of African, Arab and Indian ocean trade. The 2026 winners will be announced at the closing ceremony on June 28.

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