The Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) has presented five projects at this year’s Marché du Film, as part of the Goes to Cannes strand. The showcase, AFRIFF Goes to Cannes, took place on 16 May, from 12:00-13:50, at Palais K in the Palais des Festivals and was open to Marché du Film badge holders.

Held annually in Lagos and founded in 2010 by Chioma Ude, AFRIFF has established itself as one of the continent’s leading industry and exhibition platforms. The event promotes African and diasporic cinema through screenings, awards, professional development initiatives and industry conversations, bringing together filmmakers, producers and international stakeholders. In 2025, it further expanded its remit with the launch of the AFRIFF Film & Content Market, aimed at supporting financing, co-production and distribution opportunities.

The five selected titles reflect an array of approaches to contemporary African storytelling, moving between crime, romance, historical drama and socially grounded narratives, while foregrounding both local realities and transnational connections.

Family Secrets – Robert Peters (Nigeria/South Africa)
Produced by Lillian Amah-Aluko for New Dawn Productions Ltd, this 90-minute, English-language drama follows Simangele and Ikemefuna, whose wedding in Umlazi is abruptly halted by a botched drug deal. Separated by fear and distance, the pair reunite at a fashion show in Ghana when his love song shocks the crowd. But as fame comes calling and Simangele becomes pregnant, dark secrets involving her father’s connection to the chaos threaten to destroy everything. The pic appears to combine melodrama, romance and criminal intrigue within a pan-African setting.

Insight – Hakym Reagan (Rwanda)
Produced by Arsene Ngabo for The Movie People LTD, this 67-minute, English-language drama was completed earlier in 2026. The story centres on Dee, a former janitor who has found solace in his work at a hospital, until he meets Eveline, a woman trying to regain her sight. As their bond deepens, the two navigate personal struggle, love and sacrifice in a difficult world. The project suggests an intimate and emotionally driven character study shaped by questions of vulnerability, resilience and human connection.

Ashawo – Emil Garuba (Nigeria)
Directed by Garuba, who also produces for Sutoritera Limited, alongside Brenda Ogbukaa Garuba for Ziva Works Limited, this crime-thriller is spoken in English and Pidgin, and has a projected running time of 90-110 minutes. The film follows Ehi, a young Nigerian prostitute struggling with drug addiction, who begins investigating an underground sex-trafficking network in order to exact bloody revenge on the men responsible for killing her best friend. The project promises a hard-edged genre approach to exploitation, survival and female rage.

Achalugo – Daniel Oriahi (Nigeria)
Staged by DSP Studios and Banger Studios, this 120-minute historical epic-drama is spoken in Igbo and English, and was completed earlier in 2026. The story begins when Prince Ikenna returns to Achala with his Caucasian wife and mixed-race children, unsettling his traditionalist father, the King. As a 15th-century legend surrounding Queen Onwa resurfaces, hidden truths emerge that connect the family to the kingdom’s past, forcing them to confront tensions between tradition and change. The film looks set to combine family conflict with historical myth and questions of cultural continuity.

The Boy and His King – Valencia Joshua (South Africa/Nigeria)
Produced by La Vida Studios, Film One Productions and Dream Lab Productions, this historical drama is spoken in English and Zulu, and has an estimated running time of 98-105 minutes. Set in Apartheid South Africa in 1987, it follows a curious Indian farm boy who forms an unlikely bond with the Zulu King, discovering courage, purpose and destiny in the process. Rising to become a royal adviser, he must face betrayal, love and racism against the backdrop of a nation on the brink of transformation. The project is emerging as an ambitious coming-of-age tale intertwined with the larger political shifts of the period.