Overview
The Accra Indie Filmfest (AiF) is Ghana's leading international short film festival. Founded in 2019 by Evan Eghan, the festival screens independent short films across narrative, documentary, animation, student, music video, and digital story categories. The 7th edition (August 4 to 9, 2025) received over 500 submissions from 100-plus countries and selected 43 films for its official competition. The 8th edition is scheduled for July 27 to 31, 2026, under the theme "Resilience in Motion."
The festival is held at the British Council and Alliance Francaise in Accra. It is a non-profit organization run in partnership with Creation Africa Ghana and the Alliance Francaise. Entry is open to filmmakers worldwide, with no premiere status restrictions and no restrictions on prior online availability of submitted work.
AiF differentiates itself from other West African festivals through its AiF Talent Connect program, a short film market where Ghanaian filmmakers with works-in-progress pitch to a panel of industry professionals. Two winning projects receive a funded opportunity to pitch at Talent Connexion during the 48th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France, the world's largest short film festival. This pipeline gives Ghanaian filmmakers direct access to one of the most significant short film industry markets in Europe.
Key Sections
- International Short Film Competition - narrative, documentary, animation, student, music video, and digital story categories, all 25 minutes or under
- AiF Talent Connect - pitch session for Ghanaian filmmakers with works-in-progress; winners advance to Clermont-Ferrand Talent Connexion in France
- Industry Conversations - panel discussions with filmmakers, producers, and industry professionals from Ghana and abroad
- Masterclasses - practical workshops on acting, film aesthetics, and production craft
- AiF Creative Education Fair - partnership with Edinburgh Napier University and Chevening Scholarship Secretariat connecting Ghanaian creatives with international education pathways
- Music Concert - live music event integrated into the festival program
- Open-Air Cinema - outdoor screening experience at Alliance Francaise
Submission Details
Submissions open via FilmFreeway. The 8th edition (2026) call for submissions opens September 29, 2025.
Eligibility requirements:
- Films must be 25 minutes or under
- Films must be in English or have English subtitles
- Films made before January 2018 are automatically disqualified (for the 7th edition; this date shifts with each edition)
- No restrictions on premiere status or prior online availability
- Filmmakers are responsible for clearing all copyrights on submitted materials
- By submitting, filmmakers grant the festival the right to screen the film before a live audience
Submission timeline (8th edition, 2026):
- Call for submissions opens: September 29, 2025
- Festival dates: July 27 to 31, 2026
Submission fees have historically been modest. Check the FilmFreeway page for current fee tiers.
What Filmmakers Should Know
For Ghanaian filmmakers: AiF is the most active international short film platform in Ghana. The Talent Connect program is the single most valuable component for career advancement: two filmmakers receive a funded trip to pitch at Clermont-Ferrand's Talent Connexion in France, which provides direct exposure to European producers, distributors, and festival programmers. The 2024 pitch winner, Akosua-Asamoabea Ampofo, secured her Clermont-Ferrand slot through this program.
For West African filmmakers: The festival accepts submissions from across Africa and the diaspora. With over 500 submissions from 100-plus countries, selection is competitive but the festival actively seeks diverse voices from the African continent. The lack of premiere status restrictions means filmmakers who have already screened at other festivals or made their work available online remain eligible.
For international filmmakers: AiF is primarily a short film festival. Feature filmmakers should look elsewhere. The festival's international program is curated alongside the competitive sections, and international filmmakers benefit from exposure to West African audiences and industry networks. The festival's partnership with Creation Africa Ghana and the Alliance Francaise network provides connections to Francophone West African film circuits.
Practical considerations: Accra is one of West Africa's most accessible capitals, with Kotoka International Airport (ACC) serving direct flights from major hubs including London, Amsterdam, Istanbul, and Addis Ababa. The festival venues (British Council, Alliance Francaise) are in the Osu/Ridge area, walkable from many mid-range hotels. English is the official language of Ghana, removing the language barrier that affects many African festivals.
Past Winners
AiF awards are jury-selected across seven competitive categories. The 6th edition (2024) winners include:
- Best Student Film: Rule of the Thumb, directed by Delanyo Sabblah (Ghana)
- Best Actor: Kobina Amissah-Sam for Nyame Mma (Children of God), directed by Joewackle J. Kusi (Ghana)
The AiF Talent Connect pitch competition winners:
- 2024 (6th edition): Akosua-Asamoabea Ampofo for Martha, an animated short about a young football enthusiast navigating her first period. The win secured her a funded trip to pitch at Talent Connexion during the 48th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France (February 2025).
- 2025 (7th edition): Joewackle J. Kusi for No Brother For Lagos!, a romantic comedy inspired by how his parents met, which also seeks to archive and preserve his first language from extinction. The win secured his trip to Clermont-Ferrand's Talent Connexion in February 2026.
The 7th edition (2025) shortlisted twelve emerging Ghanaian filmmakers for the Talent Connect pitch session, including projects spanning animation, narrative, and documentary shorts.
Notable Alumni
AiF has been a platform for Ghanaian and international filmmakers building careers in short film:
- Nicole Amarteifio - Ghanaian-American filmmaker and AiF speaker, creator of the hit web series An African City (2014), which accumulated over 2 million YouTube views and was dubbed Africa's answer to Sex and the City by BBC and CNN. Her short film Baby Something was an official AiF selection (2024). She was named one of the Financial Times Top 25 Africans to Watch and called the Shonda Rhimes of Ghana by Marie Claire.
- Joewackle J. Kusi - Ghanaian director whose short Nyame Mma (Children of God) was an official AiF selection (2024). He won the AiF Talent Connect 2025 with No Brother For Lagos!, securing a funded trip to Clermont-Ferrand. He has 11 years of experience in content development and screenwriting.
- Akosua-Asamoabea Ampofo - Won the inaugural AiF Pitch Series (2024) with Martha, an animated short project. Her win established the Talent Connect pipeline to Clermont-Ferrand that subsequent winners have followed.
- Evan Eghan - Festival founder (2019), who established AiF as Ghana's leading short film platform and launched the Sol Accord initiative in 2025 to expand the Ghanaian film industry.
- Jesse Sunkwa-Mills - Ghanaian animator whose short Rise was an official AiF selection (2024), representing the growing animation sector in Ghanaian cinema.
Submission Tips
AiF is one of the most accessible African festivals for short filmmakers. Key strategies for selection:
- Submit via FilmFreeway. The 8th edition (2026) call for submissions opens September 29, 2025. Submission fees are modest compared to European festivals.
- Keep films under 25 minutes. All categories have a 25-minute maximum. The festival does not accept longer films in any competitive category.
- Ensure English subtitles. All films must be in English or have English subtitles. This is a firm requirement with no exceptions.
- No premiere requirement. AiF does not require premiere status and does not restrict films that have been made available online. This makes it accessible for films that have already screened elsewhere.
- Target the Talent Connect if you are Ghanaian. This program is the single most valuable component for career advancement. Two filmmakers receive a funded trip to pitch at Clermont-Ferrand's Talent Connexion in France, providing direct exposure to European producers and festival programmers.
- Films made before 2018 are disqualified. The recency requirement shifts with each edition but generally requires films completed within the last 7 to 8 years.
Industry Reputation
AiF has established itself as one of Africa's leading international short film festivals in just seven editions. The festival's reputation rests on three pillars: its competitive short film program, the Talent Connect pipeline to Clermont-Ferrand, and its partnership with Alliance Francaise and Creation Africa Ghana.
The Talent Connect program is the most distinctive industry feature. No other West African festival offers a funded pathway to pitch at Clermont-Ferrand, the world's largest short film festival. This gives Ghanaian filmmakers direct access to European producers, distributors, and festival programmers that would otherwise be difficult to obtain.
The festival's growth has been rapid: from a small-scale event in 2019 to receiving over 500 submissions from 100-plus countries by 2025. The 7th edition (2025) screened 56 short films from 33 countries. The festival is free to attend, which broadens audience access and makes it attractive for filmmakers seeking West African audience exposure.
AiF is not a market festival. There is no formal film market or co-production forum. However, the Industry Conversations panels and masterclasses provide networking opportunities with filmmakers and industry professionals from Ghana and abroad. The festival's partnership with Edinburgh Napier University and the Chevening Scholarship Secretariat connects Ghanaian creatives with international education pathways, extending its impact beyond screening into career development.
Major Awards
- Best Short Narrative - jury prize for best fiction short film
- Best Short Documentary - jury prize for best nonfiction short
- Best Short Animation - jury prize for best animated short
- Best Student Film - jury prize for films by enrolled students
- Best Music Film - jury prize for music videos and music-themed shorts
- Best Digital Story - jury prize for digitally produced or distributed storytelling
- Special Jury Mentions - two additional awards for outstanding cinematic achievements
All selected films receive a digital award certificate and official festival selection laurels. Category winners receive designed plaques.
Festival History
The Accra Indie Filmfest was founded in 2019 by Evan Eghan as a platform for emerging independent filmmakers in Ghana. The first edition was a small-scale event focused on Ghanaian short films. The festival grew through the pandemic years by adapting to digital and hybrid formats, maintaining continuity when many African festivals suspended operations entirely.
The 6th edition (July 29 to August 3, 2024) marked a turning point, with the festival receiving over 4,000 submitted films and selecting 50 for screening. The AiF Pitch Series (later rebranded as AiF Talent Connect) was introduced during the 6th edition in 2024, with the inaugural pitch winner advancing to Clermont-Ferrand in February 2025.
The 7th edition (August 4 to 9, 2025) operated under the theme "Disruption: Visions of Tomorrow" and introduced the AiF Creative Education Fair in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University and the Chevening Scholarship Secretariat, expanding the festival's mission beyond screening into education and career development.
The 8th edition (July 27 to 31, 2026) has already announced 43 official selections under the theme "Resilience in Motion."
A separate festival, the original Accra International Film Festival (AIFF), was launched in June 2013 by Katamadara Concepts with Executive Director Osmo Kwame Addo and filmmaker King Ampaw as board chairman. That festival screened features including King Ampaw's No Time to Die and Bill Duke's Cover, and honored actors including Jackie Appiah and Genevieve Nnaji. The original AIFF appears to have ceased operations after a few editions. The Accra Indie Filmfest now fills the role of Accra's primary international film festival.
Watch
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An African City - Episode 1: The Return. The web series created by Nicole Amarteifio (AiF speaker and Baby Something official selection) debuted on YouTube in 2014 and accumulated over 2 million views. It was dubbed Africa's answer to Sex and the City by BBC and CNN.
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Barely Made, a short film by Ghanaian-American cinematographer Kobina de Graft-Johnson, screened at the London Pan-African Film Festival. The film represents the type of diaspora-Ghanaian co-production that AiF seeks to platform.
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Moon Over Aburi (2022), a short film by British-Ghanaian filmmaker Anniwaa Buachie, is the first in a series of crime-themed shorts set in and around Accra. The film represents the growing cross-cultural Ghanaian filmmaking community that AiF supports.
See Also
Use the Festival ROI Calculator to model the total cost of submitting to and attending AiF, including submission fees, travel to Accra, and accommodation. For broader festival strategy, read Film Festival Strategy. For West African cinema context, see International Film Markets. For FESPACO, the continent's largest film festival, see FESPACO Ouagadougou.
