The Locarno Film Festival has unveiled its film list for the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival during a press conference in Zurich. The list encompasses a massive program of 233 works, including 51 features, 81 shorts, 1 series, and 103 world premieres spanning 69 countries. This edition’s list was curated under the vision of Artistic Director Giona A. Nazzaro.
The selected African features, documentaries, and short films are distributed across key sections of the festival. The primary official sections of the Locarno Film Festival are the Piazza Grande open-air screenings, the main Concorso Internazionale (International Competition), the Concorso Cineasti del Presente for emerging filmmakers, the Pardi di Domani short film competition, the non-competitive Fuori Concorso laboratory, the historical Histoire(s) du Cinéma showcases, and the regional focus platform Open Doors Screenings. Here are 10 of the selected African projects showing across these sections.
Congo Boy, Rafiki Fariala
Drawn from the experience of the director, Congo Boy is a music-infused drama following 17-year-old Robert, who must care for his siblings in war-torn Bangui after his parents are imprisoned. Featuring a Cannes award-winning performance by Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset, this international co-production depicts a young man’s fight for survival while pursuing his dreams of becoming a rapper. Congo Boy is to be screened at the Locarno Film Festival, during the Piazza Grande open-air screenings
Ego Reach We All (Our Time Will Come), Amartei Armar
Ego Reach We All (Our Time Will Come), the debut feature from Ghanaian-American director Amartei Armar, is set for its world premiere in the Concorso Cineasti del Presente section at Locarno. This Ghana-France co-production builds on the success of his Cannes-selected short Tsutsue, offering a fresh perspective on contemporary West African identity.
Atcha Atcha, Mamadou Dia
Selected for the Fuori Concorso section at Locarno, Mamadou Dia‘s Atcha Atcha is a Senegalese documentary capturing the intimate transmission of memory and resilience through dance. This Senegal-France co-production explores how human bodies function as living archives to pass down culture across generations.
BAKMA, Abdelhamid Bouchnak
Selected for the Fuori Concorso section, BAKMA is a fiercely independent Tunisian drama marking filmmaker Abdelhamid Bouchnak’s return to major international festival platforms. Produced entirely outside traditional funding structures by 3SG Group and Shkoon Production, the highly anticipated film will celebrate its official world premiere at the festival.
Khufu, Mahmoud Ass
Mahmoud Assi‘s debut short film, Khufu, is a co-production between Egypt, France, Sweden, and Canada. Set in the historic neighborhood of Nazlet El-Semman under the shadow of the Giza Pyramids, the story follows Sayed, a 14-year-old boy grappling with loyalty, responsibility, and the fragile economic reality of his community. When his family’s ailing camel, which is their sole source of income, falls seriously ill, Sayed is torn between social and familial expectations and his deep emotional bond with the animal. Previously winning the food security-focused Eish Short Film Competition at El Gouna, the film offers a realistic, human portrait of contemporary Egypt by centering its narrative on the resilience of an often-overlooked community living alongside ancient monuments. Khufu is to be featured for the prestigious Pardi di Domani International Competition.
NADUPA, Daniel Samwel
Nadupa is a Seed Pictures production exploring critical human rights issues in rural Tanzania, including land rights and gender roles. The film aims to amplify authentic East African voices and highlight local grassroots justice struggles. It is also one of the selections for the Pardi di Domani International Competition.
Memory of Princess Mumbi, Damien Hauser
Memory of Princess Mumbi is a ground-breaking Kenyan-Swiss afrofuturistic sci-fi mockumentary directed by Damien Hauser. Set in the year 2093 within the fictional African coastal realm of Umata, the story follows a young European filmmaker named Kuve who arrives to document the aftermath of a devastating global war that outlawed modern digital technology and revived ancient, traditionalist kingdoms. The narrative shifts when he recruits Mumbi, a spirited local actress who fiercely challenges his reliance on artificial intelligence, urging him to capture life using only his eyes and heart. As a star-crossed romance sparks between them, the film evolves into a tragic love triangle when it is revealed that Mumbi is already betrothed to the powerful ruler of a neighboring kingdom. Blending improvised drama with AI-generated visual effects, Hauser’s self-produced micro-budget feature acts as a profound, humanist meditation on memory, grief, and the beauty found in everyday human connection. It is to feature in the prestigious Panorama Suisse section at the Locarno Film Festival.
Kaddu Beykat (Letter from My Village), Safi Faye
Selected for the prestigious Histoire(s) du Cinéma, Locarno Heritage section, Kaddu Beykat (Letter from My Village) is a historic 1975 Senegalese masterpiece directed by the late, pioneering filmmaker and ethnographer Safi Faye. Widely celebrated as the first feature film directed by a Sub-Saharan African woman to achieve commercial distribution, this milestone work blends documentary and fiction to deliver a poetic yet urgent critique of rural postcolonial economies. Set in a Serer village during a devastating drought, the narrative follows Ngor, a young agricultural worker whose dreams of marrying his cousin, Coumba, are derailed because he cannot afford the traditional bride price due to failing peanut crops. This critical situation forces Ngor to migrate to Dakar in search of employment, confronting the stark, alienating realities and exploitation of urban life while his village relies on ancient rituals to cope with his absence.
Barni, Mohammed Sheikh (2025)
Making its Swiss premiere, Mohammed Sheikh’s ambitious debut feature narrative follows the sudden, mysterious disappearance of a young girl from a quiet Somali village. The resulting crisis forces her loved ones to embark on an urgent search that moves from their tight-knit rural community to a bustling, overwhelming city. Sheikh utilizes this emotionally grounded premise to craft an authentic portrait of contemporary Somalia, exploring the harsh realities of those attempting to navigate an often isolating and hostile urban landscape.
O Profeta, Ique Langa Mozambique (2026)
Shot independently over a nine-year period using an authentic cast of non-professional local residents, Ique Langa’s stark debut feature is an atmospheric parable filmed entirely in shimmering black-and-white. Set in the rural village of Manjacaze, the film follows Hélder, a well-meaning Christian pastor who is enduring an intense crisis of faith as his congregation steadily dwindles. Desperate to rejuvenate his ministry, he wanders into the wilderness and secretly consults a local witch whose traditional sorcery temporarily grants him immense healing powers. While his newfound supernatural gifts instantly bring flocking crowds, maintaining his elite holy reputation begins to demand increasingly dark, destructive personal sacrifices.
Submergido, Ariel Añez
Selected for the competitive Open Doors Screenings (Shorts and Medium-Length) section, Ariel Añez’s Submergido is a visually striking 2025 short film from Mozambique that is competing for the inaugural African Film Press (AFP) Critics Prize. The narrative follows a young protagonist grappling with a profound internal crisis, using the heavy, atmospheric metaphor of water and submersion to explore themes of grief, isolation, and psychological weight. Through a deeply poetic cinematic lens, Añez crafts a quiet yet intense meditation on survival, capturing how individuals in contemporary Mozambique navigate emotional landscapes that threaten to completely pull them under.
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