The Film Week (Namibia Film Commission)

Overview

The Film Week is Namibia's annual film event, organized by the Namibia Film Commission (NFC). The 5th edition runs March 12-16, 2026 at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Windhoek. The event screens films from across Africa, hosts industry panel discussions and professional development workshops, and serves as the lead-in to the Namibian Theatre and Film Awards (NTFAs), which return on March 28, 2026 after a six-year hiatus.

The 2026 edition received 656 eligible submissions across multiple categories including student films. Of these, 159 films were selected for screening, including 64 Namibian productions. The final program features films from 16 African countries: Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Rwanda, Nigeria, Senegal, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Namibia. Entrance to all screenings and sessions is free, on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Film Week is open to Namibian and African filmmakers. Submissions are accepted via FilmFreeway. The submission window for the 2026 edition ran from October 23 to November 23, 2025, accepting films released from July 2023 to November 2025. Categories include shorts, documentaries, animation, and feature-length films. All Namibian entries submitted to the NTFAs automatically qualify for The Film Week, unless they have been previously screened, eliminating the need for double submission.

Submission Details

Submissions are made through FilmFreeway. Key details:

The NFC does not charge a submission fee for Namibian entries submitted through the NTFA process. For African entries from outside Namibia, fees are listed on the FilmFreeway page and vary by category and deadline. The festival does not pay screening fees for selected films.

Program and Screenings

The 2026 Film Week program includes:

• Film Screenings - 159 selected films from 16 African countries across feature, short, documentary, animation, and student categories
• Industry Panel Discussions - 80 participants per session, covering topics including niche content creation and film policy framework review
• Professional Development Workshops - 40 participants per workshop, focusing on Production Budgeting and Taxation, and Film Marketing and Publicity
• Masterclasses - Expert-led sessions with limited capacity
• Networking Events - Connecting Namibian filmmakers with counterparts from across Africa

All sessions and workshops are on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants are encouraged to register at nfc.na to secure spots in workshops and panel discussions.

Namibian Theatre and Film Awards 2026

The Namibian Theatre and Film Awards return on March 28, 2026 at the National Theatre of Namibia, marking the first edition in six years. The revived awards assess productions created between 2019 and 2025. Categories include film, documentary, web series, acting, directing, and technical work. New categories introduced for 2026 include Best Newcomer Director and Best Web Series, reflecting the growth and evolution of Namibia's performing arts landscape.

The NTFA return is organized under the theme "A New Season: A Celebration of Transition, Resilience and Growth." The awards celebrate excellence in both film and theatre, recognizing the interconnected nature of Namibia's performing arts sector. The six-year gap in the awards reflects the period of industry contraction that followed the COVID-19 pandemic, with creative industry activity only beginning to recover around 2023.

Festival History

The Film Week was established by the Namibia Film Commission as a platform for Namibian and African cinema. The 2026 edition is the 5th, indicating the event began around 2022. The festival has grown each year, with the 2026 edition receiving 656 eligible submissions and selecting 159 films for screening, up from 119 selected films in the previous year.

Namibia's film industry is young and developing relative to many African countries with longer-established film ecosystems. The 64 Namibian productions in the 2026 program indicate steady growth in local film production. The NFC has positioned The Film Week as both a celebration of Namibian creativity and a platform for pan-African industry collaboration.

Namibia's visual landscape has made the country an increasingly sought-after film location. The Namib Desert (the oldest desert in the world), the Skeleton Coast, and the vast open plains of Etosha National Park provide distinctive environments for documentary and narrative filmmaking. The country's history as a German colonial territory (German South West Africa) and subsequent decades under South African apartheid rule before independence in 1990 gives Namibian cinema a complex historical terrain to examine.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Namibian Filmmakers

The Film Week is the most important domestic platform for Namibian cinema. If you are submitting to the Namibian Theatre and Film Awards, your entry automatically qualifies for The Film Week screening consideration, provided it has not been previously screened publicly. There is no need for double submission. The 64 Namibian productions in the 2026 program represent a significant portion of the national film output.

For African Filmmakers

The Film Week accepts submissions from across Africa via FilmFreeway. The 2026 program included films from 16 African countries, making it a genuinely pan-African platform. For filmmakers from southern African countries (Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola), the festival offers geographic proximity and the opportunity to connect with regional industry professionals. The free admission policy means screenings are accessible to wide audiences.

For Documentary and Environmental Filmmakers

Namibia's extraordinary natural environment creates a particularly receptive context for nature, wildlife, and environmental documentary filmmaking. The Namib Desert, Etosha National Park, and the Skeleton Coast provide subjects that are globally unique. The Film Week's programming has historically included environmental and nature documentary content, and Namibian audiences have demonstrated strong interest in films about their natural heritage.

Industry Development Focus

The Film Week places significant emphasis on professional development. The 2026 edition includes workshops on Production Budgeting and Taxation, and Film Marketing and Publicity, each limited to 40 participants. Panel discussions cover film policy review and niche content creation. These sessions provide practical training that is often difficult to access in Namibia's smaller film market. Registration is required and spaces fill quickly.

No Screening Fees

The Film Week does not pay screening fees for selected films. Filmmakers should factor this into their festival strategy and budget. The festival does not cover travel or accommodation costs for attending filmmakers, though the free admission policy means there are no attendance fees for the event itself.

Past Winners

The Film Week connects directly to the Namibian Theatre and Film Awards (NTFAs), which returned on March 28, 2026 after a 6-year hiatus. Key film winners:

• Best Feature Film - Speel Aan, directed by Errol Geingob (Desert Films). Won 5 of 8 nominations including best director, best script, best male actor (Dawie Engelbrecht), and best female actor (Hazel Hinda). Available on DStv CatchUp and DStv Stream.
• Best Short Film - The B2 Passage, directed by Iman Ayisha and Roger Rafael.
• Best Documentary - The Weight of Tomorrow, directed by Othilia Mungoba.
• Audience Choice - Skeleton Coast, which also won best production design for Sonje Fraser.
• Best Newcomer Director - Laudika Hamutenya.
• Best Cinematography - Under the Hanging Tree, directed by Perivi Katjavivi.

The NTFA ceremony adjudicated 26 theatre productions and 45 film submissions. Actor Hakeem Kae-Kazim delivered the keynote address. NBC broadcast the ceremony live.

Notable Alumni Films

Films screened at The Film Week and recognized at the NTFAs have achieved regional distribution:

• Speel Aan (2024) - directed by Errol Geingob. A 51-minute drama about a disgraced soccer coach seeking redemption. Available on DStv CatchUp and GOtv Stream across Africa.
• Under the Hanging Tree - directed by Perivi Katjavivi. Won best cinematography and best supporting actress at the 2026 NTFAs.
• Skeleton Coast - won audience choice at The Film Week 2026 and best production design at the NTFAs.

Submission Tips

1. Submit through FilmFreeway between October and November. The 2026 window ran from October 23 to November 23, 2025. Films released from July 2023 to November 2025 were eligible.
2. Namibian filmmakers should submit to the NTFA process directly. All NTFA entries automatically qualify for The Film Week screening consideration, eliminating the need for double submission.
3. Pan-African programming defines this festival. The 2026 edition screened films from 16 African countries. Films from southern Africa (Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola) have geographic advantage.
4. Environmental and wildlife documentaries find receptive audiences here. Namibia's natural landscapes including the Namib Desert, Etosha National Park, and the Skeleton Coast create strong local interest in nature filmmaking.
5. Student films have a dedicated category. The 2026 edition received 656 eligible submissions across all categories including student work.
6. The festival does not pay screening fees. Factor this into your festival strategy and budget. The festival also does not cover travel or accommodation for attending filmmakers.

Industry Reputation Notes

The Film Week is the most important domestic film platform in Namibia. Industry professionals regard it as a regional networking and professional development event rather than an acquisitions market.

Compared to FESPACO, The Film Week operates on a much smaller scale. FESPACO is the largest African film festival and draws international buyers. The Film Week connects Namibian filmmakers with regional counterparts and provides training workshops.

Compared to the Durban International Film Festival, The Film Week has less industry infrastructure. Durban runs a co-production market and attracts more international attention. The Film Week's value lies in its pan-African screening platform and its connection to the NTFA awards.

See Also

Calculate your total festival submission costs using the Festival ROI Calculator. For documentary filmmaking approaches, see Documentary Filmmaking Guide. For pan-African cinema context, see International Film Markets. Submit through the FilmFreeway page or visit the Namibia Film Commission website for more information.