Africa Film Fest Australia 2026
Description
Africa Film Fest Australia 2026
3–6 September 2026 | Sydney Opera House & Event Cinemas Parramatta
Africa Film Fest Australia (AFFA) returns to Sydney for four days celebrating the richness, diversity and creativity of African cinema. From award-winning features and powerful documentaries to conversations with filmmakers, AFFA brings together stories from across Africa and its global diaspora that challenge, entertain and connect audiences through the universal language of film.
This year's programme explores memory, identity, resilience and possibility. Journey from the birth of African independence to contemporary stories of love, music, political courage and cultural pride. Meet remarkable individuals changing history, discover emerging voices shaping the future of African filmmaking, and experience Australian premieres that can only be seen at AFFA.
Whether you're discovering African cinema for the first time or returning as a longtime supporter, AFFA offers a rare opportunity to experience some of the continent's most compelling contemporary storytelling on the big screen.
Booking Information
Festival Dates: 3–6 September 2026
Sydney Opera House | 3–4 September
Opening Night and selected festival screenings at the Sydney Opera House are booked directly through the Sydney Opera House Box Office.
Event Cinemas Parramatta | 5–6 September
Tickets for all screenings at Event Cinemas Parramatta are available here through Humanitix.
Please check each film listing before purchasing tickets to ensure you are booking through the correct venue.
Why Attend AFFA?
Australian premieres from across Africa and its global diaspora
Award-winning feature films and documentaries
Filmmaker Q&As and special guests
Stories rarely seen on Australian screens
Four days of cinema, conversation and cultural exchange
Experience the Power of African Storytelling
This year's programme features powerful true stories, intimate family dramas, joyful romances, thought-provoking documentaries and remarkable portraits of artists, activists and visionaries whose work continues to shape history.
From the extraordinary humanitarian journey of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr Denis Mukwege (Muganga), to the legendary voice of Umm Kulthum (El Sett), the race to preserve Ghana's cinematic heritage (The Eyes of Ghana), and the vibrant celebration of Black identity in Black Is Beautiful, every film has been carefully selected for its artistic excellence and its ability to spark conversation long after the credits roll.
AFFA is more than a film festival. It is a celebration of culture, community and the stories that connect us across continents.
Browse the programme below and book your screenings at Event Cinemas Parramatta. We look forward to welcoming you to Africa Film Fest Australia 2026.
Lineup
DESERT CHILD
Dir Gilles de Maistre/2026/91 min/ France/English Rating: All Ages Saturday 6 September 10:00 AM From the director of Mia and the White Lion comes a spectacular family adventure celebrating African folklore. When 14-year-old Sun travels to the Sahara, she discovers her grandfather’s fable about a boy raised by ostriches is real—and deeply tied to her own heritage. Filmed on location with live animals.
Muganga: The one who Treats
Australian premiere Dir Marie-Hélène Roux/2025/Congo/105 min/French/Swahili/Lingala/Unclassified 15+ Saturday 6 September 2026, 12:00 PM Denis Mukwege, a Congolese doctor and future Nobel Peace Prize laureate, treats — at the risk of his life — thousands of women who are victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His encounter with Guy Cadière, a Belgian surgeon, will breathe new life into his mission.
Katanga: Dance of the Scorpion
Dir Dani Kouyaté /2024/Burkina Faso/113min/ Mooré with English subtitles Rating: Unclassified 15+ Saturday 5 September 2:30 PM Dani Kouyaté reimagines Shakespeare’s Macbeth within a fictional West African kingdom, drawing on the moral force of oral storytelling, ritual and political memory. Shot in crisp black and white, the film strips the court of decorative excess and makes every glance, shadow and ceremonial gesture feel charged with consequence.
East West Love
Dir Seko Shamte/2026/ Nigeria, Kenya/ 84 min/ English Rating: Unclassified 15+ Saturday 5 September 8:15 PM When a meticulous Nigerian event planner's romantic getaway falls apart after discovering her boyfriend's betrayal, an unexpected trip to Mombasa leads her to a charming hotel manager who reminds her that love and life rarely go according to plan.
Skylark
Film followed by Q& A with Dr Yanique Redwood and Ronnie Galvin. Dir Mignotae Kebede/ 2026/USA, Jamaica, Trinidad/70 min/English Rating: All Ages Sunday 6 September 11:30 AM After a decade of fighting for racial justice within Washington, DC’s philanthropic sector, Dr Yanique Redwood reaches a point her professional achievements can no longer disguise. The accumulated stress of anti-Black racism—what researchers describe as weathering—has taken a physical toll on her body.
El Sett
Dir Marwan Hamed/ 2025/Egypt/Saudi Arabia/ 162 min/ Arabic Rating: Unclassified 15+ Saturday 5 September 5:00 PM Paris, November 1967. Outside the Olympia, thousands wait in the cold for a concert that sold out long before the doors opened. Across the Arab world, streets empty as listeners gather around radios. Behind the curtain stands Umm Kulthum, sixty-nine years old, preparing to sing not simply as an entertainer but as a voice carrying the hopes of a country shaken by war.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity