AFFF targets $20bn Pan-African film industry

The Africa Film Finance Forum (AFFF) is set to return from September 16 to 18, 2025, in Lagos, Nigeria, with an ambitious agenda to unlock a $20 billion Pan-African film economy.

With the theme “Pan-African Film Economy: Building a $20B Industry for 1.4 Billion People,” the forum aims to bridge the gap between Africa’s rich storytelling heritage and the structural financing needed to scale it into a viable global industry.

Organizers say the 2025 edition will focus on mobilizing capital, influencing policy, and fostering cross-border collaborations that position African content as both a cultural asset and an economic powerhouse.

“Storytelling began in Africa. But to compete globally, we must move beyond telling stories to monetizing them,” said Mary Ephraim-Egbas, Convener of AFFF.

“We must industrialize the film sector and treat African stories as heritage and high-value export.”

The event will convene key stakeholders across the film value chain—including investors, policymakers, filmmakers, distributors, and tech innovators—to design systems that convert creativity into structured capital growth.

Key features of AFFF 2025 include an Investor’s Room and Deal Table where vetted film projects can pitch directly to financiers, certified finance training designed to help banks and investors understand film as a viable asset class, policy roundtables engaging government leaders on integrating film into national development strategies, a CINETOUR campaign promoting Africa’s diverse film locations as hubs for tourism and investment, and a dedicated FilmTech Track showcasing innovations that enhance efficiency, transparency, and scale in film production and distribution.

Bolaji Abimbola, Co-Chair of the forum’s PR Committee, emphasized that building a $20 billion industry requires recognizing film as infrastructure.

“It’s about jobs, exports, digital platforms, and policy shifts that make creative growth inevitable,” he said.

Clarina De Freitas, also a Co-Chair, added, “Our stories are our leverage—when paired with financing, distribution, and institutional credibility.”

AFFF 2025 comes at a time when African film markets are expanding, but remain largely informal and undercapitalized.

The forum seeks to change this by creating a sustainable, Pan-African film ecosystem—driven by Africans and backed by institutional support.