AFRIFF Selects African Titles For Goes to Cannes Program

In February 2026, the Marché du Film, also known as the Cannes Film Market, announced Lagos as one of its partnering cities for the 2026 edition of the Goes to Cannes program, taking place from May 15 to 18th 2026, at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) was selected to represent Lagos in the showcase. For context, the Marché du Film’s Goes to Cannes program was launched in 2013 to showcase and support works-in-progress from around the world. The program invites a selection of international film festivals and markets to curate their own pitch sessions, where they present a handful of films currently in post-production to potential sales agents, distributors, and festival programmers. 

AFRIFF has selected the titles and filmmakers who will represent the festival. The selected titles include Robert Peters’ Family Secrets, a Nigerian-South African co-production produced by Lillian Amah-Aluko and New Dawn Productions Ltd. Family Secrets is a drama that follows a botched drug deal in Umlazi, which halts Simangele and Ikemefuna’s wedding. Years later, Ikemefuna’s surprise love song at a Ghana fashion show pulls them back together. But as his fame soars and Simangele discovers she’s pregnant, her father’s hidden role in the chaos threatens to destroy them for good.

From Rwanda comes Hakym Reagan’s Insights, which is produced by Arsene Ngabo and The Movie People LTD. In Insights, Dee, a former janitor, finds solace in his job at a hospital until he meets Eveline, a woman trying to regain her sight. Their bond transcends physical vision as they steer personal struggles, love, and sacrifice in a challenging world.

Emil Garuba’s Ashawo (Prostitute), from Nigeria, is produced by Garuba, Sutoritera Limited, Brenda Ogbukaa Garuba, and Ziva Works Limited. The crime thriller is written and performed in Pidgin and English and centers on the story of Ehi, a young drug-addicted Nigerian prostitute, who investigates an underground sex trafficking business to seek bloody revenge on the men who killed her best friend.

Obi Emelonye’s Achalugo is another Nigerian title. The drama, which is an epic and historical project, will be produced by DSP Studios and Banger Studios. In Achalugo, Prince Ikenna returns to Achala with his Caucasian wife and mixed-race children, unsettling his traditional father, the King. When a 15th-century legend of Queen Onwa resurfaces, hidden truths link the family to the kingdom’s past, challenging tradition and forcing a choice between change or heritage.

Another South African-Nigerian co-production is Valencia Joshua’s The Boy and His King, produced by La Vida Studios, Film One Productions, and Dream Lab Productions. The historical drama is set in 1987 apartheid South Africa where a curious Indian farm boy forges an unlikely bond with the Zulu King, discovering courage, purpose, and destiny. Rising to the rank of royal advisor, he faces betrayal, love, and racism, in a gripping journey that mirrors a nation on the brink of change.

For the selected filmmakers and projects, participation at the market is an opportunity to connect with financiers, sales agents, and international distributors. The Cannes Film Market is the world’s largest international gathering of film professionals. This selection exposes these filmmakers and their projects to the possibility of securing a sales agent, financiers, distributors, and festival premiere slots. For the Nigerian and broader African film ecosystems, it’s a more structured exportation of Nigerian stories and filmmakers to international spaces.