African Filmmakers Take Centre Stage at Locarno 2026

Africa · Film

Key Facts

—The stage: Open Doors, the Locarno Film Festival’s programme for under-represented film regions, runs 5-10 August in year two of a four-year focus on 42 African countries.

—The projects: Six features in development were selected, involving ten countries from Ghana to Somalia, Djibouti, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

—The standout: Ghana’s “Too Much Music”, by Aseye Fiagbe, is a documentary portrait of keyboard prodigy Kiki Gyan, who joined the band Osibisa as a teenager.

—The people: Six producers and five directors — from Burkina Faso and Cabo Verde to Ethiopia, Kenya, Angola and Mozambique — join dedicated industry labs.

—The money: Projects compete for the CHF 50,000 Open Doors co-production grant, plus €8,000 from France’s CNC and €6,000 from ArteKino.

—The momentum: The spotlight follows a strong season for African cinema, weeks after an Ethiopian short won at Annecy and drew Disney’s attention.

African filmmakers will take centre stage at the Locarno Film Festival in August, with its Open Doors programme selecting six projects involving ten African countries for 2026, per The Hollywood Reporter. The strand runs 5-10 August in the second year of a four-year focus on cinema from 42 African countries.

A festival strand built for new voices

Open Doors unveiled its 2026 selection in late June, per The Hollywood Reporter. The programme runs 5-10 August, alongside the festival on Lake Maggiore in Switzerland.

This is the second year of a four-year cycle dedicated to 42 African countries. The selection spans six film projects, six producers and five directors.

Six projects, from a highlife prodigy to urban satire

From Ghana, director Aseye Fiagbe’s “Too Much Music” is a documentary portrait of Kiki Gyan, the keyboard prodigy who joined Osibisa as a teenager. Mozambique’s “Chapa 100”, by Ique Langa, is an urban, surrealist love story from a director whose debut screened in Rotterdam’s Tiger Competition.

Nigeria’s “I Live in V.I”, from director Ugochukwu Azuya, is a social satire about urban space and gentrification in Lagos. “Accept My Plea for Burial”, by Mohammed Sheikh, comes from Somalia and Djibouti.

“The Ones With the Tempered Flowers”, a Tanzanian-Kenyan experimental documentary by Neema Ngelime, weaves together womanhood and motherhood. Uganda’s “A Vineyard for a Lobster”, directed by Talemwa Pius, completes the slate.

The producers and directors joining them

Six producers join a dedicated lab: Mamounata Nikiema, Natasha Craveiro, Adja Mariam Mahre Soro, David Ikeata, Rua Osman and Tapiwa Chipfupa. Their companies stretch from Burkina Faso and Cabo Verde to Zimbabwe.

A separate directors’ programme of talks, workshops and industry networking selected Fagamou Fama Ndiaye of Senegal, Rediet Haddis Yalew of Ethiopia, Angola’s Pocas Pascoal, Kenya’s Judith Kibinge and Mozambique’s Ariel Añez.

The prizes and the pipeline

Projects compete for the CHF 50,000 Open Doors co-production grant, with further awards of €8,000 from France’s CNC and €6,000 from ArteKino. The real prize is access: meetings with European co-producers, funds and sales agents.

Open Doors has run for more than two decades as Locarno’s bridge to film industries that lack financing at home. Several past participants have gone on to premieres at major festivals.

Why it matters for African cinema

Most of the selected countries have little or no public film funding, making international platforms decisive for getting features made. A Locarno selection can unlock European money that national systems cannot provide.

The spotlight lands in a strong season for African screen industries, weeks after an Ethiopian animated short won at Annecy and drew Disney’s attention. The continent’s storytellers are increasingly setting the global agenda.

Frequently asked questions

What is Open Doors at the Locarno Film Festival?

Locarno’s programme supporting filmmakers from regions under-represented on world screens. The 2026 edition, running 5-10 August, is year two of a four-year focus on 42 African countries.

Which African projects were selected for 2026?

Six features in development, including Ghana’s “Too Much Music” about keyboardist Kiki Gyan, Mozambique’s “Chapa 100”, Nigeria’s “I Live in V.I”, a Somali-Djiboutian drama, a Tanzanian-Kenyan documentary and Uganda’s “A Vineyard for a Lobster”.

Who else takes part?

Six producers and five directors from across the continent join dedicated labs, with participants from Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Ethiopia, Angola, Kenya and Mozambique.

What can the projects win?

The CHF 50,000 Open Doors co-production grant, plus €8,000 from France’s CNC and €6,000 from ArteKino, alongside co-production matchmaking with European partners.

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