FILMS
OPENING NIGHT: Laundry
Australian Premiere
Dir Zamo Mkhwanazi /2025/106 min/ South Africa, Switzerland/Zulu
Rating Unclassified 15+
Thursday 3 September 8:30 PM
Sixteen-year-old Khuthala dreams of becoming a jazz musician. He wants nothing to do with his father’s small laundry business.When his father is arrested, Khuthala is forced into a devastating bargain that pits his talent and moral compass against a state determined to erase Black ownership and identity.
The Eyes of Ghana
Australian Premiere
Dir Ben Proudfoot/ 2025/ Ghana/90 min /English,Twi, Ga
Rating: Unclassified 15+
Friday 4 September 6:00 PM
The Eyes of Ghana follows 93-year-old filmmaker Chris Hesse, the cinematographer of Ghana's founding president, Kwame Nkrumah. As Chris races against blindness, he embarks on a mission to rescue and repatriate a hidden archive of more than 1,000 films documenting the birth of African independence during the 1950s and 1960s.
The Desert Child
Dir Gilles de Maistre/2026/91 min/ France/English
Rating: All Ages
Saturday 5 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/2025/110 min/ Congo/French, Swahili, Lingala
Rating Unclassified MA 18+
Saturday 5 September 12:00PM
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dr Denis Mukwege enters an operating theatre knowing that medicine alone cannot answer the violence surrounding him. At Panzi Hospital, he treats women whose bodies have been used as weapons of war, restoring not only physical health but dignity in a country where conflict, silence and impunity have become brutally intertwined.
Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpion
Australian Premiere
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.
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.
East West Love
Australian Premiere
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
Australian Premiere
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.
Short Film Program
Rating: MA 15+
Sunday 6 September, 1:30 PM
Africa Film Fest Australia presents a program of short films.
AFFA’s short film program has become one of the most anticipated highlights of the festival.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A session.
CLOSING NIGHT: Black is Beautiful
Australian Premiere
Dir Yemi Bamiro /2025/98 min/ United Kingdom, United States
Rating: All Ages
Sunday 6 September, 4:30 PM
Everyone knows the phrase “Black is Beautiful,” but few know of the man who helped popularize it. Little known Harlem based photographer Kwame Brathwaite lived life behind the camera, devoted to celebrating African American life.
This feature documentary tells the story of Kwame and the “Black is Beautiful” movement.
OTHER EVENTS
Opening Night Pre-screening Reception
Sydney Opera House, Utzon Room
Thursday 3 September 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
The festival starts here.
Before the lights dim and the first film begins, join us for an evening of Afrobeats, celebration and connection in the Utzon Room at the Sydney Opera House.
Perched above Sydney Harbour, the Utzon Room offers views of the Sydney Harbour, an extraordinary setting to begin the festival.
Mingle with fellow festival-goers and soak up the energy of opening night against one of the most breathtaking backdrops in Australia.Places are limited. Don't just attend opening night. Be part of it.
The Art of Storytelling
Sydney Opera House, Playhouse
Friday 4 September 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Join acclaimed writers, filmmakers, and industry professionals for an intimate and dynamic session where each speaker shares a focused presentation on the craft of storytelling revealing what makes a story resonate, how to build characters that stay with an audience, and how authentic, distinct voices find their place in an industry hungry for them.