Africa Film Fest Australia

Overview

What do Sydney Film Festival, Taiwan Film Festival in Australia and Africa Film Fest Australia all have in common, apart from worshipping cinema and sharing that love with the Harbour City's movie fans? In 2025, each has films flickering in Sydney's most-famous venue. Australia's dedicated showcase of contemporary African cinema is the newest event of the three, only debuting in 2024. For its return this year, it's opening at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday, September 4, then also playing at the iconic Circular Quay site on Friday, September 5 before hopping to Riverside Theatres in Parramatta until Sunday, September 7.

Nigerian comedy-drama I Do Not Come to You by Chance is kicking off the second Africa Film Fest Australia, with the feature based on Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani's novel, telling of a university graduate and his uncle's email scams, and making its Aussie premiere at the festival. Also showing at Sydney Opera House: Fanon, which is similarly being seen Down Under for the first time, with Martinican-born philosopher and psychiatrist Frantz Fanon in the spotlight.

Another impressive title on the bill is closing night's The Fisherman, also an Australian premiere, and the Ghanaian comedy that became the first film from the county to score official selection at the Venice International Film Festival. Before it wraps up the fest, audiences can catch the likes of biopic Samia, about Somali Olympic runner Samia Yusuf Omar; Berlin award-winner The Heart is a Muscle; documentary Nteregu, focusing on music in Guinea-Bissau; and fellow doco Sudan, Remember Us, with Sudanese youth activists at its centre.

An initiative by Arts & Cultural Exchange, AFFA spans two short film programs, too — one animated and featuring a Q&A with Nigerian filmmaker Somto Ajuluchukwu — alongside a pre-screening opening-night Afrobeats shindig with DJ GNGR on the decks. Or, you can hit up a Screen Industry Forum. For African Australians aged between 16–25, there's also a two-day workshop about comics and visual storytelling.