Bantu Film Festival

Overview

The Bantu Film Festival is a Pan-African film festival based in Gaborone, Botswana. The 5th edition runs in 2026 under the theme "Transforming Local Stories to the Global Stage." The festival is open to African filmmakers across the continent and in the diaspora, combining film screenings with workshops, masterclasses, panel discussions, and an awards ceremony. It is the most active and documented film festival in Botswana with an international submission pipeline.

The festival is co-founded by filmmaker Lesedi Mphothwe through her production company Butterscotch Productions. It is held at venues including New Capitol Cinema Masa, Riverwalk, and the University of Botswana. Sponsors have included the Okavango Diamond Company. International partners include the Namibia Film Commission, the Ladima Foundation, Human Rights Tattoo, and the University of Botswana.

The 4th edition in 2024 received 253 film submissions from 39 countries and has distributed 24 awards since its inception. The festival has grown from screening 10 films at its inaugural edition to a multi-day program with international participation. The Ugandan film Unheard took home three awards at the 4th edition, demonstrating the festival's reach beyond southern Africa.

Botswana's government has also been developing the broader film sector. The Ministry of Youth, Sports, Gender and Culture established a Film Office with a district short film screening program and a funding scheme that supports scripts at P60,000 each. The government launched the Botswana International Film Festival (BIFF) in November 2023, which received 194 submissions via FilmFreeway and selected 83 films, drawing participants from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Namibia. BIFF's subsequent editions have been less documented, and the Bantu Film Festival remains the consistently active festival with open international submissions.

Submission Details

Submissions are made through FilmFreeway.

2026 Festival Submission Deadlines:

• Early submissions: February 2026
• Normal submission deadline: March 31, 2026
• Late submission deadline: April 30, 2026
• Notification: July 2026 (selected films notified via email and announced on official festival social media)

Eligibility:

• Open to African filmmakers in Africa and Africans in the diaspora
• All genres accepted
• Short films: maximum 30 minutes
• Documentaries: 15 to 120 minutes
• Feature films: 60 to 90 minutes
• Only 1 film can be submitted per submitter
• Films must be submitted with English subtitles
• All films must be in 1080p or 4K format (lower resolutions are not accepted)
• Films must be from 2025 to the present year
• Selected filmmakers must provide their own accommodation and travel expenses to Gaborone. The festival does not cover these costs.

Submission Fees:

Submission fees are listed on the FilmFreeway page and vary by deadline tier. Check the Bantu Film Festival FilmFreeway page for current fee amounts.

Key Sections

• Short Film Program - African and diaspora short films across all genres
• Documentary Program - nonfiction films from 15 to 120 minutes
• Feature Film Program - African and diaspora features from 60 to 90 minutes
• Animation - animated short and feature films
• Workshops and Masterclasses - capacity building sessions for filmmakers
• Panel Discussions - industry conversations on African cinema
• Awards Ceremony - closing night awards presentation

What Filmmakers Should Know

The festival's Pan-African scope means it accepts films from across the continent and the diaspora, not only from Botswana or southern Africa. This makes it one of the few African festivals with a continental submission base and an active FilmFreeway presence. For African filmmakers seeking festival exposure within a Pan-African context rather than a European or North American festival circuit, Bantu Film Festival provides a platform where the audience and jury are oriented toward African storytelling traditions and industry realities.

The requirement that selected filmmakers cover their own accommodation and travel is a significant practical consideration. Unlike larger festivals that provide hospitality for selected filmmakers, Bantu Film Festival operates on a limited budget. Filmmakers should factor travel and accommodation costs in Gaborone into their festival budget if they wish to attend in person.

The festival's growth trajectory is notable: from 10 films at the inaugural edition to 253 submissions from 39 countries by the 4th edition. This growth, combined with the Botswana government's parallel investment in film sector infrastructure (Film Office, district screening programs, script funding at P60,000 per project), indicates an emerging film ecosystem in Botswana that filmmakers should monitor.

Botswana's political stability and economic position (upper-middle-income status, driven by diamond revenues and prudent fiscal management) provide a different context for film festival participation than festivals in less stable African markets. The country has not yet established a dedicated national Film Commission, though speakers at BIFF 2023 called for one, noting that over 350 countries worldwide have dedicated film commissions.

Major Awards

The festival presents awards across the following categories:

• Best Short Film
• Best Documentary
• Best Feature Film
• Best Animation
• Best Director
• Best Writer
• Best Cinematographer
• Best Editor
• Best Actor
• Best Actress
• Best Sound Designer (local and international categories)
• Best Costume and Makeup
• Honorable Mention Award

24 awards have been distributed across all categories since the festival's inception. The 4th edition's opening night featured the premiere of Children of Diaspora, a French film directed by Sabrina Onana exploring themes of identity, migration, and heritage, alongside the local short film Baratani (Hill of Lovers).

Festival History

The Bantu Film Festival was founded in 2022 by Lesedi Mphothwe through Butterscotch Productions. The inaugural edition screened 10 films. The festival grew steadily, reaching 253 submissions from 39 countries by its 4th edition in 2024. The 3rd edition in October 2024 was held at New Capitol Cinema Masa, Riverwalk, and the University of Botswana under the theme "Unifying Africa through Cinema," presenting 30 films from multiple African countries including three from Botswana.

The 4th edition opened at New Capitol Cinema Masa with live performances from local artists and a program spanning multiple days. Minister of Sports and Arts Jacob Kelebeng addressed attendees, announcing that the Ministry intended to table a cinematography bill as part of legislative reforms to address persistent challenges in the industry, including restricted access to funding and infrastructure.

The 5th edition in 2026 carries the theme "Transforming Local Stories to the Global Stage," reflecting the festival's ambition to position Botswana as a hub for Pan-African storytelling and to connect African filmmakers with international audiences and industry networks.

See Also

To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. For festival strategy and submission planning, see Film Festival Strategy. To estimate your probability of acceptance, use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For African cinema context, see International Film Markets. Full rules and submission details are available on the Bantu Film Festival FilmFreeway page.