NEW YORK AFRICAN FILM FEST 2026

SHOWCASING  UNIQUE FILMS/STORYTELLING FROM AFRICA & DIASPORA

This year’s theme for the 33rd New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) is “As the Stars Sow the Earth.” With that in mind, the festival celebrates cosmic agents associated with memory, will, and possibility into Africa and its diasporas. Based on the festival’s theme and lineup, made of diverse genres and filmmakers, the two things that seem to resonate most are preserving the history of Africa, politically and artistically, and recognizing how the continent has been the target of and has overcome colonization and exploitation of natural resources.

“Across this year’s selection, filmmakers are reimagining the landscapes we inherit—drawing from ancestral wisdom not as something to leave behind, but as a source of renewal and possibility,” said Mahen Bonetti for the festival’s press release. Bonetti is the founder and Executive Director of AFF. “Many of the directors, including a strong group making their first features, open new ways of seeing, rooted in land, spirit, and the worlds we share. In these films, what sustains us becomes a kind of wealth, guiding how we envision and shape futures on our own terms. Together, they offer glimpses of brighter horizons, reminding us that even in difficult times, life takes root in surprising and extraordinary ways.”

The festival’s centerpiece film, the documentary, “The Eyes of Ghana” by Ben Proudfoot is a shining example of all of the above. In the 50s and 60s, Kwame Nkrumah was the country’s leader who ushered his people into freedom from British colonizers. His goal was clear from the start, first Ghana, then the whole of Africa through development of a united states system similar to the U.S.A. Documenting the rise and fall of Nkrumah and this pivotal period for Ghana was cinematographer Chris Hesse. Although 90, plus, years old, Hesse is still a vibrant part of Africa’s film community as a film school educator and historian. Hesse, along with Hesse and young Ghanaian filmmaker Anita Afonu combine efforts to rescue, restore and repatriate more than 1,000 films that were long thought to be destroyed by Nkrumah.

Their journey through this process is poignantly and honestly captured in “The Eyes of Ghana.” Hesse and Afonu are a great pairing, authentically showcasing the country’s film community. Their deep love and respect for one another is evident and serves as a wonderful catalyst for the film’s progression. Two time Academy Award winner Ben Proudfoot (Best Documentary Short) doesn’t shy from the complicated history of Ghana while leaving viewers hopeful for its future. The film was executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama and won the Audience Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

Director/Writer: Ben Proudfoot
Country of origin: Ghana
Run time:  90m
Language: English, Twi, and Ga with English subtitles

In that same spirit and through the genre of narrative feature film, “Afrotōpia” by David Mboussou, shows the struggle for artistry through film and the importance of preserving African land and resources. Ezekiel, a 25-year-old aspiring filmmaker, lives in the Congo Basin with his powerful businessman father, Maurice. The two are at odds as Maurice despises his son’s artistic ways and insists that if he lives in his house, he must join the family business. During his indoctination, Ezekiel discovers the plans to exploit a sacred forest, the last refuge of an indigenous community. 

Director/Writer: David Mboussou
Country of origin: Gabon
Run time: 128m
Language: French with English subtitles

Opening this year’s festival is a layered film with four women at its core. “Promised Sky” by
Erige Sehiri follows a brief period in the life of Marie, a pastor and former journalist who unofficially takes in a young orphaned girl. She also shares her house with Naney, a young mother seeking a better future, and Jolie, a student carrying her family’s expectations. All involved navigate poverty, displacement and lost loves in an uncertain world in Tunisia. What “Promised Sky” lacks in smooth transitions and dialogue as well a more appealing look, it makes up for in its themes and performances.

Director/Writer: Erige Sehiri
Country of origin: France/Tunisia/Qatar
Run time: 95m
Language: French and Arabic with English subtitles

In addition to the 14 feature films and documentaries of NYAFF, the line up also includes a robust shorts collection, post screening Q&A with filmmakers and talent, and special programming featuring digital exhibition. Unlike most of the other Film Lincoln Center (FLC) festivals, this one moves around the city and even has time in Brooklyn. The festival kicks off on May 1 with a Town Hall at The Africa Center, heads to FLC May 6-12, travels to Maysles Documentary Center in Harlem (May 15 to 17). The Brooklyn Academy of Music/BAM will take over festival host duties starting May 22 through May 28 as Film Africa, and then closes with an outdoor screening at St. Nicholas Park on May 30.


For more details about the NYAFF and to purchase tickets go to https://www.filmlinc.org/festivals/new-york-african-film-festival/?tab=films