From Bayelsa Filmfest To Rivers, Abuja, AFRIFF, It’s CineFest
It’s the season of film festivals in Nigeria as four film festivals will hold between now and November 7, 2024. The first is Bayelsa International Film Festival, which opened in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State on October 16, will run till October 19. Reports indicate that the filmmakers and film enthusiast alike have converged on Yenegoa for the festival that is in its third edition. From Yenegoa, the festival train will move to Rivers for the start of the Rivers International Film festival. The festival is scheduled to open on October 24 and will run through to October 27. The opening ceremony has been fixed to hold on October 24 at Portland Hotels in Rumupkoku, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The festival, which is in its second edition, will feature film screening, cultural performances and will as usual, offer networking opportunities to participants. From Rivers, the festival train will move to Abuja for the 2024 edition of the Abuja International Film Festival.

This edition, the 21st, will hold from October 28 to November 1, 2024. A total of 1254 entries from 45 countries have been submitted for nomination for the festival that the organisers say will be a celebration of diversity, creativity and unparallel talent in the world of cinema. The organisers last week released the list of nominees of the different categories of the festival. From Abuja, the festival train will move to Lagos for the 13 edition of the yearly Nigeria domiciled Africa International Film Festival otherwise called AFRIFF. This edition, which will be held under the theme of ‘Indigenous To Global: Cultural Wealth To Global Prosperity’ will hold in Lagos between November 3 and 9. Building on the triumphs of previous editions, founder and President of AFRIFF, Chioma Ude, disclosed that AFRIFF 2024 is planned to be a more impactful event. Ude noted that the festival would continue to showcase the best of African cinema, featuring a diverse selection of films from across the continent and the diaspora. She also stated that the programme of the festival would encompass feature films, documentaries, short films, and animation, ensuring a captivating experience for all. Other highlights of the festival include, a major spotlight on emerging filmmakers, African animation showcase, virtual reality experiences, industry days and a script to screen project which is to be held in partnership with the African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) through its Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme.

Submissions Open For Hot Docs Festival 2025
ENTRIES are now open for the 32nd yearly Hot Doc Festival, which holds from April 24 to May 4, 2025 in Toronto. Festival Programming Director, Heather Haynes, will lead the curation of an outstanding lineup of more than 100 documentaries from Canada and around the world. Industry programs offered at the Festival are currently being planned to prioritize intimate networking opportunities, meaningful knowledge sharing and impactful market initiatives. Follow @hotdocs on twitter and other social media platform for more details.

Tokyo International Film Festival To Hold From October 28
ALL is set for the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF). This edition, the 37th edition is to run from October 28 to November 6, 2024. The organisers recently unveiled two highlighted special programmes and screenings for its upcoming 37th edition. The programmes are TIFF Lounge and screening which will feature an exciting lineup of five talk sessions with a rich variety of guests, selected by a committee that includes director Kore-eda Hirokazu. Hosted by the Japan Foundation and TIFF acclaimed and emerging filmmakers from a variety of countries and regions in Asia and beyond have been invited to Tokyo, and the lounge according to organizers will provide a place for filmmakers gathering at TIFF to interact and present talk sessions where they can share their stories. According to the organizers, there will five main talk sessions, with this year’s Cannes Grand Prix winner Payal Kapadia, who made history by becoming the first person from India to win the prize, appearing at the invitation of Kore-eda Hirokazu. A variety of other talks will also be held, including one on co-productions between Japan and ASEAN. There will also be a conversation between a legendary Hong Kong action maestro and one of Japan’s leading directors of today. Details of the festival can be sourced at tiff-jp.net.

Six Filmmakers Invited For Cannes Residency
SOFIA Alaoui, Rudolf Fitzgerald-Leonard, Theo Montoya, Eglé Razumaité, Diwa Shah and Anastasia Veber are the six new filmmakers welcomed to the 48th session of La Résidence du Festival de Cannes. From October 1, 2024 to February 15, 2025, they will live in Paris and benefit from a tailor-made program designed to help them write their first or second feature film. One of the invited filmmakers is Casablanca born Sofia Alaoui who grew up between Morocco and China. After studying in Paris, she returned to Casablanca in 2015 to set up Jiango Film, her production company. Her short film, So What If The Goats Die, won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2020 among other winnings. She is currently working on her next film, Tarfaya, a sci-fi drama about a strange disease.