The Africa Film Finance Forum (AFFF) is set to return to Lagos with a focus on unlocking the continent’s creative economy through strategic investment and policy support.
In a statement on Tuesday, organisers said the forum, scheduled to be held from September 16 to 18, 2025, will serve as a platform to chart a roadmap for building a $20 billion Pan-African film industry.
With the theme, ‘Pan-African Film Economy: Building a $20B Industry for 1.4 Billion People’, the forum will bring together filmmakers, investors, policymakers, distributors, and tech innovators to design structures that can convert creative storytelling into economic growth.
Mary Ephraim-Egbas, convener of AFFF, said the time has come for African storytelling to evolve from cultural expression to an industrial asset.
“Storytelling began in Africa. Our myths, oral histories, and traditions have always been foundational,” Ephraim-Egbas said.
“But to compete globally, Africa must move beyond telling stories to monetizing them by industrializing the film sector and positioning African content as both heritage and high-value export.”
Despite widespread global appeal, Africa’s film economy remains largely informal and underfunded. The forum aims to address this by linking talent with financing, policy frameworks, and digital tools.
The statement said key highlights of AFFF 2025 include the investor’s room & deal table, a curated space where pre-qualified film projects will pitch directly to financiers.
The forum will also feature certified finance training, aimed at equipping banks and investors with the tools to understand and support the film industry as a credible asset class.
In addition, policy roundtables will engage government stakeholders on integrating film into national development strategies.
The CINETOUR campaign will spotlight Africa’s diverse filming locations for tourism and investment, while the FilmTech Track will showcase innovations driving transparency, efficiency, and scale across production and distribution.
Bolaji Abimbola, co-chair of the AFFF strategic communications committee, said the forum is not just about films, “it’s about jobs, exports, digital platforms, and policy shifts that make growth inevitable”.
Clarina De Freitas, also a co-chair, added: “This is Africa’s creative century. Our stories are our leverage, but only when matched with financing, distribution, and institutional credibility.”
AFFF was established as a pan-African platform to connect storytellers with capital, knowledge, and institutional partners.
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