The Afrika Film Festival in Leuven celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The programme has been reduced to just four days, a conscious decision by the organisers to focus on the essentials, according to a press release.

In recent years, the festival has usually lasted ten days. But for this year’s edition, which runs from 24 to 27 April, the schedule has been shortened and the number of side events reduced. The aim is to refocus the festival as a platform for African cinema.

Lost and Found 

The festival will open with a screening of the documentary Ernest Cole: Lost and Found. Friday’s programme includes the Belgian premiere of Fanon by Jean-Claude Barny. Saturday will be dedicated to a selection of short films, while Sunday will see the presentation of the annual Young African Film Makers Awards. 

The festival will close with Samia by Yasemin Samdereli, a true story about the Somali athlete Samia Yusuf Omar, who competed in the 2008 Olympic Games and died tragically four years later while trying to reach Europe. All screenings will take place at Cinema ZED in Leuven.

Countering stereotypes

The Afrika Film Festival was founded with a clear mission: to challenge and counter the narrow and often negative portrayal of Africa in the Flemish media and even in some NGO narratives, which tend to focus disproportionately on dictatorships, disease and sexual violence. 

The festival aims to offer a more nuanced and realistic image of the continent – one that is young, dynamic and artistically rich. By showcasing high quality fiction and documentary films by African directors, it highlights the breadth and depth of African cinema.