THE Africa Gospel Film Project (AGFP) 2026, has successfully concluded its groundbreaking six-day intensive filmmaking masterclass and Spiritual Formation Program, where a total of 60 emerging Christian filmmakers from Nigeria and Zambia were trained.
The event, which held at the Gospel Cinema International and High Definition Film Academy (HDFA) facility in Gwarinpa area of Abuja, Nigeria, brought together a distinguished lineup of facilitators from Nigeria and the United States.
The convener of the program, Mr. Bright Wonder Obasi, said the event has further positioned AGFP as a leading platform for faith-based filmmaking development in Africa.
Among the international facilitators were Stephen Kendrick of the Kendrick Brothers, producers of The Forge, War Room, Facing the Giants, Courageous, Overcomer, and Fireproof, who delivered a session titled, ‘Heart of The Filmmaker.’ Also featured was Cameron Arnett, who led sessions on ‘Christ Over Career’, and acting for film.
Other notable speakers include Nick Carey (Kingdom Story Company), whose presentation was titled, ‘The Making of a Faith-Based Blockbuster Movie’ as well as Bob Saenz, who took the Screenwriting Masterclass session.
Also, Beverly Holloway handled the Acting Masterclass, David Cook, Adam Drake, Prince Daniel (Aboki), Lummie Edevbie, Christ Odeh and Jennifer Keltner educated participants on ‘Identity and Storytelling.
In his Keynote address, the programme convener, Obasi, in a presentation titled ‘Calling and Identity: Film as Spiritual Influence/Programming’, urged participants to view storytelling as a tool for cultural and spiritual transformation. He further stressed the role of film as a medium of information, identity formation and cultural promotion, calling on the younger generations to embrace career in filmmaking.
As part of the activities lined up for the programme, participants were grouped into four production studios, including House of Gideon, House of Caleb, House of Joshua and House of David for the ease of three-day intensive masterclasses and workshops in screenwriting, directing, cinematography, acting, editing and producing, alongside deep spiritual formation.
While the fourth day witnessed the development and pitching of short film concepts for professional review and approval, day five was dedicated to full-scale production, with the respective teams executing their projects under real industry conditions.
The program on the sixth day culminated in a Pitch-A-Thon, where 20 filmmakers presented original projects for funding and collaboration; a public screening of four short films produced during the program, professional feedback from a panel of judges and presentation of certification to participants.
Other highlights of the event include the awards ceremony in recognition of excellence across categories.
While the House of Caleb won the Best Sound Design and the Best Male Actor for their short film titled Liminal, House of Joshua won the most awards, including Best Screenplay, Best Directing, Best Editing and Best Female Actor for their short film, Confidence. Meanwhile, House of David won the Overall Best Picture and Best Cinematography for their short film titled Inward.
The four films produced during the program will premiere at the upcoming Africa International Christian Film Festival scheduled between June 3 and 6 at the Silverbird Cinemas, Abuja, Nigeria.
Speaking after the event, Obasi, described AGFP 2026 as a movement to raise storytellers who will shape culture and influence nations through truth-driven films that honor God. He added that with its successful debut, AGFP has already began preparation towards its next edition with a mandate to train about 300 Christian filmmakers across Africa, and develop a slate of six global faith-based films over three years.
“The Africa Gospel Film Project continues to position itself as a catalyst for purpose-driven storytelling, industry excellence and spiritual transformation in African cinema”, he said.
