AFFF returns to Lagos to boost industry funding

The Africa Film Finance Forum (AFFF) will return to Lagos in October, bringing together investors, financial institutions, policymakers and film industry stakeholders to explore new ways of funding Africa’s growing film and audiovisual sector.

The three-day forum is scheduled for October 5 to 7, 2026, as part of Film Week Africa 2026. Discussions will focus on improving access to institutional capital, insurance, credit guarantees, investment, intellectual property financing, co-production, distribution and international market opportunities.

The organisers said the forum is designed to move discussions about film financing beyond grants and isolated funding schemes towards sustainable financial structures capable of attracting institutional investment.

A major highlight of this year’s event will be the introduction of the Africa Film Finance, Insurance and Risk Management Framework, known as AFFIRM.

The framework is being developed to address risks that have historically discouraged banks and institutional investors from financing African film projects. It will bring together production insurance, credit and completion guarantees, risk management mechanisms, financial institutions and qualified film projects.

The forum will also launch Women in Film & Finance (WIFF), an initiative aimed at helping women in the creative sector strengthen their financial and business capabilities.

WIFF will provide financial education, mentorship, business development support, professional networking and investment-readiness opportunities, while connecting women-led creative enterprises with financial institutions.

Founder of AFFF, Mary Ephraim-Egbas, said the major challenge facing Africa’s film industry was not the absence of money or talent, but the lack of financial structures capable of connecting both.

“Africa does not have a film finance problem. It has a film finance infrastructure problem,” Ephraim-Egbas said.

She argued that the continent needed financial institutions that understand the peculiarities of filmmaking, insurers familiar with production risks, guarantee providers capable of unlocking credit and investors who understand the value of intellectual property.

According to her, AFFF was established to bridge the gap between the creative and financial sectors and create mechanisms through which promising film projects can attract sustainable investment.

“The next phase is about creating the mechanisms that will allow those relationships to move beyond conversations into transactions, and AFFIRM is an important part of that journey,” she added.

Award-winning actress and filmmaker Stephanie Linus, who is also a member of the AFFF Advisory Board, said the initiative could help address structural obstacles that have historically restricted institutional funding for African films.

She said AFFIRM would provide a framework for addressing concerns around risk, insurance, guarantees and investor confidence, which have often made conventional financing difficult for film producers to access.

The forum is expected to attract filmmakers, producers, banks, investors, insurers, development finance institutions, government representatives and other stakeholders as the industry seeks stronger financial foundations for growth across Africa.