A Fleet of Afrocentric Films Sail To The 32nd New York African Film Festival

A partnership between Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) and African Film Festival, Inc. (AFF) will lead to the upcoming 32nd edition of the New York African Film Festival (NYAFF). The festival welcomes over 30 classic and contemporary films from filmmakers across Africa and the diaspora. In total, 100 films are expected for screening at the festival, which will be spread across different cultural centres in the prestigious New York City throughout May.

The current edition, themed “Fluid Horizons: A Shifting Lens on a Hopeful World”, recognizes the resilience of the African youth and their predecessors who made way for them. Historically, cinema was crucial to the liberation struggles and emancipation of the African continent. These early influences have been passed down to the current generation of filmmakers who now turn to the camera to chronicle their experiences while also directly or tacitly referencing the inspiration from their predecessors. Exploring diverse genres and cinematic styles, the 2025 NYAFF offers heterogeneous perspectives on African culture and history through the medium of cinema.

The 2025 NYAFF opens with  Afolabi Olalekan’s feature debut, Freedom Way, a story capturing the drive of the Nigerian youth, which follows the experiences of nine individuals set on a collision course in a fast-paced, electric thriller shot in Lagos. Another notable piece set for screening at the festival is Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine’s Memories of Love Returned, a documentary about the unique, transformative value of photography, a recipient of the Best Documentary accolade at the Africa International Film Festival, with Steven Soderbergh as its executive producer. The festival’s closing night will feature a special shorts programme In the Arms of the Mother to account for films by and about African women. This includes the global première of Kounkou Hoveyda’s We Will Be Who We Are, the North American premieres of Dika Ofoma’s God’s Wife and Anil Padia and Michael Mwangi Maina’s Temple Road; the U.S. premiere of Zoé Cauwet’s Le Grand Calao; the New York premiere of Mariame N’diaye’s Sira; and Kagure N. Kabue’s Iron Fist.

There are plans to spotlight the Democratic Republic of the Congo through the crafts of Congolese filmmakers such as Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda, Nelson Makengo, Mwezé Ngangura, Sammy Baloji, David-Pierre Fila, and Xavier Mwamba. One of these films, Baloji’s The Tree of Authenticity, is a documentary that, through the voices of two scientists, captures the environmental destruction that came with the emergence of colonization.

Fatou Cissé, daughter of the legendary filmmaker Souleymane Cissé, also has a shot with the anticipated premiere of her film  Furu at the festival in North America. The film explores the effect of forced marriage on young Malian women. In addition, Awam Amkpa’s The Man Died, a film based on Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka’s prison memoir of the same title, and Ousmane William Mbaye’s Ndar, Saga Waalo, a documentary about Saint-Louis, Senegal, a crucial port of colonial penetration into West Africa.

The lineup of activities includes special programmes such as two art exhibitions—“Congo RE-Vue: A Fresh Perspective by Emerging Congolese Talent,” a dynamic digital photo exhibition that spotlights the vibrant talent of the next generation of Congolese artists; and Bereket Adamu’s “All Night We Waited for Morning, All Morning We Waited for Night,” a welded steel light sculpture and animated video that comments on African resistance, migration, and global interconnectedness. Both editions, scheduled for May 8th-13th, will contribute to ongoing conversations around Black history and representations.

Another special programme is a panel titled “From Then to Now: Celebrating 15 Years of African Cinema”, courtesy of a collaboration between AFF and Okay Africa, scheduled for May 10th. The panel will include discussions with four filmmakers at the festival and cover insights on the enduring themes and shifting creative landscape of contemporary African cinema.

“In a world of uncertainty, the 32nd New York African Film Festival presents a vision of the future through the eyes of Africa’s youth—bold, determined, and endlessly creative. As the youngest and fastest-growing continent, Africa is brimming with stories that demand to be told, not just as reflections of today’s challenges but as blueprints for a future shaped by resilience and possibility,” says Mahen Bonetti, NYAFF founder and AFF executive director. “This year’s festival is a testament to the power of cinema to inspire, provoke, and remind us that hope is always in motion.”

NYAFF’s history dates back to 1993 when it was launched by Mahen Bonetti, in partnership with the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Bonetti is also the founder of the AFF, a nonprofit organization created in 1990 to promote African culture through film. Since its inception, the NYAFF has been a front player in the popularization and globalization of dynamic narratives of filmmakers from Africa and its diaspora.  The inaugural edition, held under the banner “Modern Days, Ancient Nights”, featured the works of filmmakers like Ousmane Sembène and Souleymane Cissé. Ever since then, the festival has taken place around April and May every year, while the AFF continues to champion all-year-round community programmes and cultural events in the best interests of African cinema.