Abuja International Film Festival (AIFF Nigeria)

Overview

The Abuja International Film Festival is Nigeria's most important capital-city film festival. Founded in 2004 and held annually in October-November in Abuja, Nigeria's purpose-built federal capital, the festival presents Nigerian and African cinema to the government, diplomatic, and professional community of Nigeria's administrative center.

Abuja's character as a planned capital -- built from scratch in the 1980s to replace Lagos as the national capital -- gives it a different character from Lagos's commercial energy. The city's international diplomatic community, its high concentration of government officials, and its growing professional class provide an audience for cinema that is distinct from Lagos's entertainment-oriented market.

The festival has developed connections with government cultural policy and has been an important platform for discussions about Nigeria's film industry infrastructure alongside its competitive programming.

Key Sections

• Nigerian Film Competition -- new Nigerian features and shorts
• African Film Program -- films from across the continent
• International Competition -- competitive international programming
• Documentary Program -- nonfiction features
• Short Film Competition -- competitive short programs

What Filmmakers Should Know

The festival accepts open submissions. For Nigerian filmmakers, the festival provides access to government cultural decision-makers alongside the public audience. For African filmmakers, Abuja provides exposure within Nigeria's federal administration.

Major Awards

• Best Nigerian Film -- jury prize
• Best African Film
• Audience Award

Festival History

AIFF Nigeria was founded in 2004 and has operated alongside the Lagos-based AFRIFF as a capital-city complement to Nigeria's commercial film culture.

See Also

For Nigerian cinema, see International Film Markets. For AFRIFF Lagos, see Africa International Film Festival.