Africa Film Fest Australia - Screen Industry Forum

In partnership with the Australian Film, Television & Radio School (AFTRS), and with the support of Black Music Alliance, ACE Parramatta will host the 2025 Screen Industry Forum as part of 2025 Africa Film Fest Australia program. MC, and festival co-director Mumbi Hinga, will facilitate conversations with emerging and established talent working across film, TV, animation and digital platforms, exploring the challenges and opportunities facing African Australian storytellers in the industry today.

A key finding in the recent Screen Diversity and Inclusion Network’s (SDIN) Everyone Counts 2.0 report, shows diversity gaps for people from African backgrounds (IF Magazine, 8 July 2025). The report examines representation both on and off screen, working across Australian TV and film projects completed from July 2021 to June 2024. The data indicates under-representation for individuals with and African (1.4 per cent) and Asian (10 per cent) ancestries/ethnicities across all screen roles, while people of European (37 per cent) and Anglo-Celtic (56 per cent) ancestries/ethnicities continue to be over-represented.

The Screen Industry Forum is a chance to interrogate the issue of representation and flag strategies to address these gaps. Be part of the conversation.

Tickets: $10

Guest Speakers Include:

Kalu Oji is a Nigerian-Australian a filmmaker and writer whose practice is rooted in process-driven collaboration and the exploration of memory, place, and identity. His short films have screened at festivals including BFI London Film Festival, Palm Springs ShortFest, and Chicago International Film Festival, and have received awards from Flickerfest, Sydney Film Festival, and Atlanta Film Festival. In August 2025, Kalu’s debut feature, ‘Pasa Faho’, will premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival. Alongside his artistic practice, he also works across education and facilitation spaces at both institutional and community levels.

Belinda Jombwe is a Ugandan-Australian producer, writer, and actor. Her recent screen credits include Apples Never Fall (Peacock), The Secrets She Keeps (Paramount), Five Blind Dates (Amazon Prime), and Interceptor (Netflix). She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Performance Studies, Sociology) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) from the University of Sydney. In 2024, she was recognised as an emerging arts leader through Diversity Arts Australia’s Shifting the Balance program. Her TikTok series GOING HOME developed with support from Screen Australia and Screen NSW launches on 30 September. Belinda is also the founder of The Nansumba Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to creating safe and accessible spaces for culturally and racially marginalised Australians to develop and produce marketable screen projects.