Nigeria AI Film Festival Returns for 2026: Is This Becoming The Defining Platform for AI-Driven Storytelling in Africa?

The Nigeria AI Film Festival (NAIFF) returns this September 2026 at Alliance Française Lagos to continue exploring the growing role of AI in filmmaking across Africa.

Following a strong debut, the festival founded by Obinna Okerekeocha has quickly become a gathering point for filmmakers, technologists, and creatives who are curious about what AI means for storytelling and where it’s all heading.

In its first edition last year, NAIFF recorded over 400 submissions and hosted a mix of curated screenings, panel conversations, and its AI Academy, an initiative focused on giving creatives practical tools for AI-driven production.

The director of communications and panel host for the event, Chidera “Odera Collins” Okonji, described the experience as “a necessary disruption,” noting how it challenged familiar ways of telling stories and opened up new creative possibilities.

Many attendees shared similar reflections, describing the festival as immersive, eye-opening, and genuinely educational. For a lot of people, it was their first, hands-on experience seeing how AI is already shaping filmmaking within Nollywood and across Africa.

Building on that momentum, the 2026 edition is set to go even further. This year’s festival will place a stronger emphasis on experimentation, collaboration, and more grounded conversations around the ethical use of AI in film. The goal is simple: to keep pushing what’s possible while supporting the people actually doing the work.
The festival will feature:
● Screenings of selected AI-driven films
● Industry panels and conversations
● Hands-on workshops and training sessions
● Networking opportunities across creative and tech communities
NAIFF continues to position Nigeria within the global conversation on the future of filmmaking, one where technology supports, rather than replaces, human creativity.

Submissions for the 2026 edition opened on May 1 and will close on July 31. Filmmakers, artists, and digital creators are invited to submit works that explore new ways of telling stories with AI.

Speaking on this year’s call for entries, Director of Programs Chisom Ifeakandu described the current moment in filmmaking noted that African storytellers deserve to be at the centre of conversations around AI and creativity.

“We want to see films that use AI not as a gimmick, but as a real tool in service of stories that matter,” she said. “Show us something we’ve never seen before, make it feel true, and make it unmistakably yours.”

As the industry continues to evolve, NAIFF remains focused on building a space where innovation in African cinema can grow in a meaningful and sustainable way.

For submissions: https://filmfreeway.com/NaijaAIFilmFestival

The Naija Artificial Intelligence Film Festival is a growing platform for filmmakers using artificial intelligence to create new forms of cinematic storytelling.

The festival brings together creatives, tech minds, and innovators to explore the future of film in Africa and beyond.