A unique opportunity for African filmmakers is here. African Film Festival, Inc. (AFF)’s flagship programme, the annual New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) is calling for film submissions.
The festival is curated around a timely theme and presented in collaboration with Film at Lincoln Center, Maysles Cinema, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s BAMcinématek. During the festival, which runs for three weeks in the spring, approximately 100 classic and contemporary films are screened, including rarely seen archival works. Film screenings are followed by discussions with filmmakers and/or other film experts, as well as workshops and public talks.
The festival has been attended by African film pioneers such as Ousmane Sembène and Safi Faye, as well as other notable established filmmakers who showed their first films at the NYAFF.
Submissions may be of any genre and length and should be made by or about people of African descent. Preference will be given to films completed within the last two years, and that will have their New York premiere at NYAFF in May 2026. The festival will not feature films that are already available for streaming online or on public television.
Due to the location of the festival, non-English language film submissions must have English subtitles. DCPs, Blu-ray disc copies, or high-definition film files are also eligible for submissions for festival projection depending on programme needs.
The NYAFF will not accept watermarked films for public presentation.
