Opening Night selection is the New York premiere of Afolabi Olalekan’s feature debut, Freedom Way
New York, NY — Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) and African Film Festival, Inc. (AFF) will partner to present the 32nd edition of the New York African Film Festival (NYAFF). NYAFF features more than 30 contemporary and classic films from Africa and its diaspora screening at FLC May 7 through May 13, with 100 films in total as the festival continues at other esteemed New York City cultural venues throughout the month of May, with many filmmakers in attendance for post-screening Q&As. Since its inception in 1993, the festival has been at the forefront of showcasing African and diaspora filmmakers’ unique storytelling through the moving image.
- Advertisement -
This year’s theme, “Fluid Horizons: A Shifting Lens on a Hopeful World,” honors the resilience of African youth and the forebearers who paved the way for them. As cinema was an integral part of the African continent’s struggle for independence and the triumph of its liberation, this edition of the festival celebrates the African youth who have turned to their cameras to document their experiences and the influence of those who came before them. With a multitude of genres ranging from comedies to experimental films, the 32nd New York African Film Festival offers a multidimensional take on African culture, history, and cinema.
“In a world of uncertainty, the 32nd New York African Film Festival presents a vision of the future through the eyes of Africa’s youth—bold, determined, and endlessly creative. As the youngest and fastest-growing continent, Africa is brimming with stories that demand to be told, not just as reflections of today’s challenges but as blueprints for a future shaped by resilience and possibility,” said Mahen Bonetti, NYAFF founder and AFF executive director. “This year’s festival is a testament to the power of cinema to inspire, provoke, and remind us that hope is always in motion.”
The Opening Night selection is the New York premiere of Afolabi Olalekan’s feature debut, Freedom Way, a powerful tale of the limitless drive of Nigerian youth, which follows the lives of nine individuals set on a collision course in a fast-paced, electric thriller shot on location in Lagos. The Centerpiece film is Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine’s Memories of Love Returned, an intimate, nuanced documentary about the transformative power of photography, executive produced by Steven Soderbergh and named best documentary at the Africa International Film Festival. Closing Night will feature the shorts program “In the Arms of the Mother,” which spotlights films by or about African women from all walks of life, including the world premiere of Kounkou Hoveyda’s We Will Be Who We Are; the North American premieres of Dika Ofoma’s God’s Wife and Anil Padia and Michael Mwangi Maina’s Temple Road; the U.S. premiere of Zoé Cauwet’s Le Grand Calao; the New York premiere of Mariame N’diaye’s Sira; and Kagure N. Kabue’s Iron Fist.
This year’s NYAFF will also spotlight the Democratic Republic of the Congo through the works of veteran and emerging Congolese filmmakers such as Mwezé Ngangura, Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda, Nelson Makengo, David-Pierre Fila, Sammy Baloji, and Xavier Mwamba. Their films include the U.S. premiere of Baloji’s The Tree of Authenticity, a gripping documentary recounting the ecological destruction that began at the time of colonization through the voices of two emblematic scientists.
The festival will also host the North American premiere of Furu by Fatou Cissé, the daughter of legendary filmmaker Souleymane Cissé, which explores the impact of forced marriage on young women in Mali. Two additional features making their U.S. debuts include Awam Amkpa’s The Man Died, based on the harrowing prison memoir by Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka; and Ndar, Saga Waalo, Ousmane William Mbaye’s powerful documentary about Saint-Louis, Senegal, the port of colonial penetration into West Africa.
Special programs include a free panel presented by AFF and OkayAfrica on May 10 entitled “From Then to Now: Celebrating 15 Years of African Cinema,” featuring a discussion with four acclaimed filmmakers from this year’s festival and offering a rare opportunity to reflect on the creative shifts and enduring themes shaping African cinema today. Two free art exhibits running May 8–13 in the Amphitheater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center include “Congo RE-Vue: A Fresh Perspective by Emerging Congolese Talent,” a dynamic digital photo exhibition dedicated to highlighting the vibrant talent of the next generation of Congolese artists; and Bereket Adamu’s “All Night We Waited for Morning, All Morning We Waited for Night,” a welded steel light sculpture and animated video that reflects on African resistance, migration, and global interconnectedness.
Tickets go on sale Thursday, April 10, at 2pm ET, with an early access period for FLC Members starting Thursday, April 10, at noon. Ticket prices are $17 for the general public; $14 for students, seniors, and persons with disabilities; and $12 for FLC Members. See more and save with a 3+ Film Package ($15 for general public; $12 for students, seniors (62+), and persons with disabilities; and $10 for FLC Members), the $99 All-Access Pass, or the $79 Student All-Access Pass. Contact [email protected] for information about attending the Opening Night Party.
The festival continues at Maysles Documentary Center in Harlem from April 15 to 18 and at Brooklyn Academy of Music under the name FilmAfrica from May 23 to May 29 during DanceAfrica, and culminates with an outdoor screening at St. Nicholas Park on May 31.
The programs of AFF are made possible by the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Bradley Family Foundation, Color Congress, NYC & Company, The New York Community Trust, French Cultural Services, Manhattan Portage, Organization de la Francophonie, Essentia Water, Ministre du Tourisme République démocratique du Congo, ZOPMEDIA, South African Consulate General, National Film and Video Foundation, and Motion Picture Enterprises.
See the full lineup of films HERE.
