Luanda International Pan-African Film Festival (LUANDA PAFF)

Overview

The Luanda International Pan-African Film Festival (LUANDA PAFF) is an annual film event in Luanda, Angola, screening films produced in Africa and its diaspora. Founded in October 2019 by Ne Kunda Nlaba, a film producer, director, and professor at Academia Kongo Bizizi LDA (the Pan-African Film Institute), the festival was delayed by COVID-19 and held its first edition from November 24 to 27, 2022, at Fundacao Arte e Cultura in Ilha de Luanda.

The fourth edition (LUANDA PAFF 2025) closed on November 30, 2025, at ZAP Cinemas in Luanda. The third edition (LUANDA PAFF 2024) ran November 20 to 24, 2024, across five venues: Cinemax Fortaleza, Cinemax Kilamba, Cinemax Nova Vida, Mediateca do Cazenga, and CEARTE (School of Arts Complex). That edition screened 40+ films representing 23 countries, including 9 feature fiction films, 11 short fiction films, 9 feature documentaries, 7 short documentaries, 4 animated films, 2 Angolan short films, and 1 Angolan feature documentary. The 2024 edition paid tribute to Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene.

For African and Afro-descendant filmmakers: LUANDA PAFF is the only Pan-African film festival in Angola and one of the few in Lusophone Africa. Submissions are open via FilmFreeway. All submissions must have Portuguese subtitles. If the selection team accepts a film in English or French without Portuguese subtitles, the filmmaker must deliver a subtitled version before the festival. Contact: contact@luandapaff.com, phone +244 925 142 920.

Submission Details

LUANDA PAFF accepts films of any genre (drama, comedy, horror, adventure, animation, romance, science fiction, experimental) made by African filmmakers living in Africa and from around the world, including Afro-descendant filmmakers.

Submission platform: FilmFreeway

Eligibility:

• Open to African filmmakers and Afro-descendant filmmakers worldwide
• All genres accepted
• All submissions must have Portuguese subtitles (English or French films may be accepted without subtitles at the selection stage, but selected films must deliver a Portuguese-subtitled version)
• Entries must be received by the appropriate deadline
• Incomplete submissions or missing fee payments will not be considered

2025 submission timeline: Submissions opened February 1, 2025, with a deadline of June 30, 2025.

Screening format: DCP

Key Sections

• Official Selection - competitive categories for feature fiction, short fiction, feature documentary, short documentary, and animation
• Angolan Films - dedicated slots for domestic Angolan productions (shorts and features)
• Pan-African Showcase - films from across the African continent and diaspora
• Tributes and Retrospectives - honoree programs (2024: tribute to Ousmane Sembene)
• Special Screenings - curated non-competitive selections
• Talks and Panels - industry discussions (2024 included a conversation on African women's identity in partnership with Alliance Francaise de Luanda)

What Filmmakers Should Know

For African Filmmakers

LUANDA PAFF is the primary Pan-African film platform in Angola. The festival accepts films from across the continent and the diaspora, making it one of the few festivals that explicitly programs African and Afro-descendant cinema as its core mission rather than a sidebar. The Portuguese subtitle requirement is a practical consideration for non-Portuguese-speaking filmmakers, but the festival team can help arrange subtitling for selected films.

For Angolan Filmmakers

The festival provides the most significant domestic platform for Angolan cinema. Angolan filmmaking has been rebuilding since the end of the civil war in 2002, and LUANDA PAFF is one of the few events where Angolan filmmakers can screen their work to an international audience without leaving their country. The festival's partnership with Academia Kongo Bizizi LDA also connects it to film education and training infrastructure in Angola.

For Diaspora Filmmakers

Afro-descendant filmmakers from Brazil, Portugal, the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe are eligible to submit. The festival's Lusophone dimension creates a natural bridge for Brazilian and Portuguese filmmakers seeking African audience exposure. The 2024 edition included films from Brazil, Portugal, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States alongside African productions.

Practical Considerations

Luanda is one of the most expensive cities in Africa for visitors. Accommodation costs are high, and infrastructure can be challenging. The festival operates across multiple venues spread across the city. Filmmakers attending in person should budget accordingly and arrange logistics well in advance through the festival team.

Major Awards

LUANDA PAFF presents awards across standard competition categories and three special award categories:

Standard Competition Awards:

• Best Short Film
• Best Feature Film
• Best Documentary
• Best Drama Series
• Best Film Director
• Best Cinematography
• Best Actor
• Best Actress

Special Award Categories:

• Kwanza Awards - the highest prize of the festival, given to the outstanding film across all submissions regardless of genre
• Kimpa Vita Awards - awarded to a film that addresses African revolution, awareness, and consciousness themes, honoring Kimpa Vita, an 18th-century revolutionary from the Kingdom of Kongo
• Ndinga Awards - Best Film in African Language, encouraging filmmakers to produce films fully in African languages (Ndinga means "language" in Kikongo)

The festival also recognizes filmmakers for lifetime achievement and career contributions.

Festival History

Ne Kunda Nlaba founded LUANDA PAFF in October 2019 through Academia Kongo Bizizi LDA and the Pan-African Film Institute. The inaugural edition was planned for 2020 but delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A launch event took place on July 5, 2022, at Fundacao Arte e Cultura in Ilha de Luanda, followed by the first full edition from November 24 to 27, 2022.

The second edition ran November 22 to 26, 2023. The third edition (November 20 to 24, 2024) expanded to five venues across Luanda and screened 40+ films from 23 countries, including Angola, South Africa, Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Egypt, the United States, France, the Netherlands, Morocco, Nigeria, Portugal, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, and Sierra Leone. The 2024 edition paid tribute to Ousmane Sembene, the Senegalese director widely regarded as the father of African cinema.

The fourth edition (LUANDA PAFF 2025) closed on November 30, 2025, at ZAP Cinemas, marking the festival's transition to a larger commercial cinema venue.

See Also

To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. To estimate your probability of acceptance based on festival tier and film characteristics, use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For festival strategy guidance, see Film Festival Strategy. For Pan-African cinema distribution, see International Film Markets.