Africa Film Finance Forum Returns to Lagos to Advance Film Financing in Africa

The Africa Film Finance Forum (AFFF), a specialised platform dedicated to strengthening the financial ecosystem for Africa’s film and audiovisual industries, is set to return to Lagos from October 5 to 7, 2026.

This year’s edition will convene leaders from banking, investment, development finance, insurance, government, and the creative industries to foster discussions and practical solutions aimed at financing Africa’s burgeoning film industry.

As part of Film Week Africa 2026, the AFFF will bring together filmmakers, producers, financial institutions, investors, insurers, policymakers and other industry stakeholders to explore sustainable financing structures, including institutional capital, credit guarantees, risk management, insurance, intellectual property, co-production, distribution, trade, export opportunities and access to international markets, to support the growth of Africa’s film and audiovisual sector.

This edition will unveil key initiatives such as the Africa Film Finance, Insurance and Risk Management Framework (AFFIRM) and Women in Film & Finance (WIFF).

These initiatives aim to enhance access to finance, reduce investment risks and deepen collaboration between the creative and financial sectors.

WIFF will be empowering women in the creative industries with access to financial education, business development support, mentorship, professional networks and investment-readiness opportunities, while connecting women-led creative businesses with financial institutions.

AFFIRM is being developed to address structural risks that have limited institutional financing for African film projects by bringing together key components of film financing, including credit and completion guarantees, production insurance, risk management, financial institutions and qualified film projects.

Speaking on the focus of the Forum, the Founder of the Africa Film Finance Forum, Mary Ephraim-Egbas, noted that Africa’s film industry requires stronger financial infrastructure to unlock available capital and support commercially viable projects.

“Africa does not have a film finance problem. It has a film finance infrastructure problem. There is capital on the continent, there are talented producers and commercially promising projects, but the structures that allow those two sides to transact confidently have remained inadequate. AFFF was created to bring finance and film into the same room. Africa cannot build a globally competitive film industry on grants and isolated funds alone,” Ephraim-Egbas stated.

She highlighted the necessity of banks that understand film, insurers that grasp production risk, guarantee institutions to unlock credit, and investors familiar with intellectual property.

“The next phase is about creating the mechanisms that will allow those relationships to move beyond conversations into transactions, and AFFIRM is an important part of that journey,” she added.

Award-winning actress, filmmaker and member of the AFFF Advisory Board, Stephanie Linus, said the initiative would help address some of the structural barriers that have limited the flow of capital into Africa’s film industry.

She added that AFFIRM provides a framework for addressing key concerns around risk, guarantees, insurance and investor confidence, which have historically made institutional financing more difficult to access for film projects.