Africa Is Hosting Its First AI Film Festival

On September 13, the Naija Artificial Intelligence Film Festival (NAIFF) is set to host the continent’s first-ever artificial intelligence film festival at Lagos’s Alliance Française. It drew over 490 submissions from filmmakers across Africa, exploring the intersection of technology and storytelling.

Founded in April 2025 by Obinna Okerekeocha, the NAIFF has quickly grown into a thriving hub for AI-powered filmmaking. At its core is a WhatsApp community of over 300 members, dubbed “promptasians,” who exchange ideas on how to create and refine AI-generated films. Beyond casual discussion, the group has hosted panels and launched the AI_CADEMY, where industry professionals teach aspiring creators how to make ethical AI art. With the festival’s debut, this community-driven energy is now stepping onto a larger stage, aiming to expand beyond screenings, offering hands-on training sessions, immersive masterclasses, and thought-provoking panels featuring leading AI filmmakers from across the globe.

Until now, Africa had not hosted a major festival dedicated solely to AI films. While some festivals have explored related themes—such as S16’s 2024 Technologic, which examined technological advancements in film production—none showcased a fully AI-generated film. Today, that landscape is beginning to shift. Alongside NAIFF, other initiatives are emerging: the SA Film Runway Meetup in Cape Town on September 26, and the Center for Digital Humanities, in collaboration with Transhumanists Africa, which will debut its inaugural Artificial Intelligence Short Film showcase in Lagos on November 21.

The significance of NAIFF, however, extends far beyond its inaugural year. The democratization potential is staggering. AI-powered technologies could eliminate many of the financial and technical barriers that have historically limited Nigerian filmmakers. Complex visual effects, previously accessible only to well-funded productions, become achievable on minimal budgets. Remote locations, elaborate set pieces, and expensive post-production workflows can now be generated through sophisticated algorithms.

However, this technological leap forward raises profound questions about the future of filmmaking in Nigeria. Traditional roles such as cinematographers, set designers, makeup artists, and even actors may find parts of their craft disrupted as algorithms become capable of generating entire scenes without a physical crew. For an industry that already struggles with underfunding, this could be both a relief—cutting costs and opening doors for smaller creators—and a threat, potentially displacing professionals whose skills form the backbone of Nollywood’s identity.

Equally pressing is the question of authenticity. AI models are often trained on vast datasets that privilege Western aesthetics, narratives, and cultural references. If Nigerian filmmakers adopt these tools uncritically, there’s a risk that “African AI cinema” could end up looking less African and more like an imitation of Hollywood, eroding the cultural specificity that makes Nollywood globally distinct. The challenge, then, lies in adapting these technologies to reflect local stories, textures, and worldviews rather than allowing them to overwrite them.

At the same time, the potential upside is enormous. AI could empower Nigerian creators to tell more ambitious stories, such as reimagining historical sagas or futuristic Afrofuturist visions, that might have been impossible with limited budgets. In doing so, Nollywood could position itself at the forefront of global conversations about how technology reshapes storytelling. But whether this future strengthens or dilutes the industry’s identity will depend on how intentionally filmmakers, festivals, and institutions engage with the ethical, cultural, and economic questions AI introduces.

The significant amount of submissions to NAIFF suggests that African filmmakers are already experimenting extensively with AI tools, indicating a grassroots adoption that’s happening with or without institutional support. Looking ahead, NAIFF could become a crucial annual meter for how African cinema evolves in the AI era. Nigeria’s position as a continental filmmaking hub means that innovations showcased here will likely influence creative practices across West Africa and beyond. The success of this inaugural festival may well determine whether Nigeria leads or follows in cinema’s next technological revolution.