French Films at the 2026 African Film Festival
Since its inception in 1993, the African Film Festival has been at the forefront of showcasing African and diaspora filmmakers’ unique storytelling through the moving image.
The festival presents premieres, special events, Q&As with filmmakers, a lineup of short films spanning the globe, and a great selection of French films and shorts.
Explore the full program here, and learn more about the French feature films participating in the festival below.
Feature Films
Marie, an Ivorian pastor and former journalist, has lived in Tunisia for 10 years. Her home becomes a refuge for Naney, a young mother seeking a better future, and Jolie, a student carrying her family’s expectations. With the arrival of Kenza, a little orphan girl and shipwreck survivor, Marie takes on the role of caregiver. As the four women grow closer, they navigate poverty, displacement, and the fragile bonds of a makeshift family in a tense social climate. Selected as the opening film in the 2025 Cannes Un Certain Regard program, the latest drama from director Erige Sehiri (Under the Fig Trees) features a stellar cast including César Award-nominated Aïssa Maïga (Bamako, Above Water, Toussaint Louverture).
Directors: Erige Sehiri
Drama, 2025, 95 min., France–Tunisia–Qatar
In Arabic, French with English subtitles. New York Premiere
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May 6, 6:30pm | Film at Lincoln Center – Walter Reade Theater
May 7, 2:00pm | Film at Lincoln Center – Francesca Beale Theater
Seventy years after the invention of cinema—and after several decades of colonial cinema using Africa as an exotic setting, often denying humanity and dignity to its people—newly independent Africans finally took hold of the movie camera. Undeterred by the lack of means and infrastructure, they showed African reality in its variegated forms, seen at last through African eyes. Using extracts from significant films, interviews with filmmakers, and rare vintage footage, Caméra d’Afrique recalls the first 20 years of the new auteur cinema of sub-Saharan Africa, which bears witness to an indefatigable—and still-enduring—drive for self-expression.
Director: Férid Boughedir
Documentary, 1983, 95 min., Tunisia – France
In French with English subtitles.
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May 9, 12:00pm | Film at Licoln Center – Francesca Beale Theater
Férid Boughedir’s Caméra arabe is a fast-paced documentary exploring the rise of politically engaged cinema in North Africa and the Middle East from the 1960s onward. Through film clips and filmmaker testimonies, it links this cinematic movement to major historical events like the Six-Day War and the Lebanon War, highlighting how directors grappled with questions of identity and expression. Featuring key voices such as Mohamed Lakhdar-Hamina and Youssef Chahine, the film stands as a passionate tribute to a bold, independent wave of Arab cinema. Writing in Variety upon its 1987 release, Anthony Yung says “Chahine’s intelligent, anguished battle to describe Arabs’ shaken sense of their own identity in a world rocked by dramatic political events rather sums up the film.”
Director : Férid Boughedir
Documentary, 1987, 65 min., France – Tunisia
In Arabic and French with English Subtitle
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May 12, 5:45pm | Film at Lincoln Center – Francesca Beale Theater
Poet, agricultural engineer and revolutionary Amílcar Cabral was born in Guinea-Bissau to Cape Verdean parents. After studying in Portugal, he emerged as the charismatic leader of the anti-colonial struggle against Portuguese rule. With his utopian ideas, he sparked a cultural and an armed uprising that went on to inspire other African liberation movements.
Director : Miguel Eek
Documentary, 2025, 87 min., France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Cabo Verde
In Spanish, French, Portuguese
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May 17, 8:30pm | Maysles Cinema
Batwing: Unmasked: An African Super Hero
Everyone knows Batman—but far fewer know Batwing, DC Comics’ first African superhero, introduced in 2011 as the “Batman of Africa.” This documentary travels across the continent to explore how African readers and artists respond to, reinterpret, and debate his meaning and legacy.
Director : Thomas Letellier
Documentary, 2026, 52 min., France
In English, French. US Premiere
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May 16, 4:30pm | Maysles Cinema
In a cotton-farming village in Sudan, teenage Nafisa is raised on heroic tales of battling British colonisers told by her grandmother, the village matriarch Al-Sit. But when a young businessman arrives from abroad with a new development plan and genetically engineered cotton, Nafisa becomes the center of a power play to determine the future of the village. Awakening to her own strength, Nafisa sets out to save the cotton fields – and herself. Neither she nor her community will ever be the same again.
Director : Suzannah Mirghani
Drama, 2025, 94 min., Germany, France, Palestine, State of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan
In English, French. New York Premiere
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May 25, 90 min | BAM Roses Cinemas
Germaine Acogny, l’essence de la danse
Germaine Acogny, the “mother of African contemporary dance,” is one of Africa’s most influential artists. This documentary traces her journey as a pioneer in blending traditional West African dance with European influences, creating the Acogny Technique, which has shaped contemporary dance worldwide. With over 50 years of performing and teaching, the 80-year-old dance icon received the Golden Lion for Dance at the 2021 Venice Dance Festival for her lifetime achievements.
Director : Greta-Marie Becker
Documentary, 2025, 86 min., France, Germany
In French, English, Wolof, Fon
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May 26, 6:00PM | BAM Rose Cinemas
Twelve Afro-French women talk about their relationship with hair, beauty standards, men, and representation in the media. Their journey of doubts, growth, alienation, reconciliation, resilience, and self-acceptance raises awareness about social and cultural issues in both African and Western societies. By publicly sharing their experiences, the documentary creates space for these women to speak, be seen, and be heard, while fostering an honest dialogue both within and beyond the Black community.
Director : Sabrina Onana
Documentary, 2023, 83 min., France
In French. New York Premiere
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May 25, 1:30PM | BAM Rose Cinemas
I Jantô! tells the story of the Malian crisis through the events that have unfolded since 2012. The film examines the underlying causes of the violent inter-community conflicts that have shaken the country, often described as ethnic conflicts. I Jantô! aims to offer a more nuanced perspective: it depicts the many facets of this violence and reveals aspects of the conflicts that are often overlooked, going beyond simple ethnic rivalries to explore political, economic, and social issues. Through poignant testimonies from Malian citizens—victims of massacres, displaced persons, and civil society actors—the film reveals the suffering and challenges faced by these populations. It also explores attempts at reconciliation, efforts to restore peace, and efforts to rebuild a fractured society. The film highlights the resilience of the people, but also raises many unresolved questions: How can this cycle of violence be broken? How can trust between communities be restored? And above all, how can peace be preserved in an unstable international context?
Director : Soussaba Cissé
Documentary, 2025, 90 min., Mali, France, Germany
In Bamabara, French with English Subtitle. New York Premiere
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May 25, 1:30PM | BAM Rose Cinemas
The first feature documentary by author and African historian Gabriel Souleyka delves into the heart of African spirituality, exploring its deep roots and its evolution across centuries, exploring a fundamental question: What were the spiritual beliefs and practices of African peoples before the arrival of Christianity and Islam on the Continent? It features captivating images and moving testimonies at the 10th Festival of Black Divinities, held in Togo in 2025, a cultural and spiritual event that celebrates ancestral traditions and African deities—its rituals, dances, songs, and ceremonies serve as a thread to explore the wealth of pre-colonial African spiritualities. Through expert interviews, immersive festival sequences, and philosophical reflections, The Soul of Africa highlights the resilience of spiritual tradition despite outside influences and examines its place in contemporary Africa, offering a vibrant journey into the heart of a continent where the sacred and the profane blend harmoniously. It is both a tribute to ancestral spiritualities and an invitation to discover Africa’s cultural foundations while questioning their future in a rapidly changing world.
Director : Gabriel Souleyka
Documentary, 2025, 67min., Togo, France, United States
In English, French with English Subtitle. World Premiere
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May 25, 1:30PM | BAM Rose Cinemas
“Wolobougou,” meaning “the place of compassionate birth” in Bambara, is the name of the small bush maternity clinic founded by midwife Honorine Soma in Burkina Faso. Driven by a commitment to revolutionize the status of women in Burkinabè society, Honorine created the clinic to provide healthcare access to women in a region where medical resources are scarce. In this demanding environment, every action taken is essential. Honorine passes on her feminist struggle to the young midwives she trains, helping them to gain independence. Wolobougou is a quest for dignity and justice, rooted in the intimate experience of the woman’s body.
Director : Camille Varenne
Ficton, 2025, 66 min., France
In Dioula with English Subtitle. New York Premiere.
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May 15, 5:30PM | Maysles Cinema
Short Films
Through the inner monologue of a child of African immigrants, the film brings us originally and poetically to the heart of the identity journey of diaspora children.
Director : Sabrina Onana
Short, 2024, 8 min., France
In French
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May 25, 1:30 | BAM Rose Cinemas
When he sneaks into a Simb — a festival where men dressed as lions dance to the rhythm of the sabars — Assane, a quiet young boy, sets in motion more than a simple punishment. What he experiences sends him on an initiatory journey through fear, myth, and ancestral transmission.
Director : Agathe Moubembé
Short, 2025, 9 min., France, Senegal
In Wolof with English Subtitle
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May 7, 8:30PM | Film at Lincoln Center – Francesca Beale Theater
May 8, 3:00PM | Film at Lincoln Center – Francesca Beale Theater
The story that follows centers on the President of the Land of Diamonds—a fictional character in a fictional world, yet one that remains strikingly close to reality.
Director : Hanna Trabelsi
Short, 2025, 30 min., France
In French
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May 16, 12:00PM | Maysles Cinema
Thirtysomething Dom is undergoing therapy. As the Christmas holidays come to an end, he is granted, for the first time in years, the right to spend a day alone with his daughters. A precious day… that he dreads seeing come to an end.
Director : Johanna Makabi
Short, 2025, 19 min., France
US Premiere. French with English Subtitle
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May 7, 8:30PM | Film at Lincoln Center – Francesca Beale Theater
May 8, 3:00PM | Film at Lincoln Center – Francesca Beale Theater
After a family drama, Omar, a turbulent child, faces new responsibilities. He’ll have to meet the Kankurang to become a man and embrace adulthood.
Director : Ciesay
Short, 2025, 9 min., France, Gambia
US Premiere. Wolof, English
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May 23, 9:15PM | BAM Rose Cinemas
One night, Jayden, a young boy, listens to his grandmother tell a poetic story about the innocence of children and the ghosts that arise within them due to the actions of adults. Through four stories, the film illustrates how these traumas emerge and leave lasting marks across generations.
Director : Daniel Thalmas
Short, 2025, 11 min., Côte d’Ivoire, France
North American Premiere. French
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May 25, 6:30PM | BAM Rose Cinemas
“Lapo Chapé”, a Martinican Creole term, means “skin color that escapes slave status.” The documentary explores skin color and mixed-race identities through testimonies that reveal history’s imprint on our identities, using Moreau de Saint-Méry’s Classification as a lens.
Director : Melissandra Monathus
Short, 2025, 31 min., France, French
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May 16, 6:45PM | Maysles Cinema
It’s a hot day, as it often is in Ouagadougou. It’s also a very special day for a group of women taking a long-awaited getaway, a moment of discovery, and a break from the hustle and bustle of the world and their lives. A few tourists are there too, a wealthy family from Burkina Faso is lounging around, and a few soldiers are watching over the place. It’s a small world that moves slowly around the Grand Calao’s swimming pool. Until sunset, the women spend a moment out of time, talking about their lives and their problems, while exploring the new sensation of their bodies in the calm blue water.
Director : Zoé Cauwet
Short, 2024, 27 min., Burkina Faso, France
Mooré, French with English Subtitle
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May 30, 6:30PM | St. Nicholas Park
l left my mother’s homeland, just as she had before me. It was in the depths of the New York subway, in Harlem, that I met Sabrina. An African American ballerina, she was the first in her family to leave the South for the Big Apple. She confided in me how dance had set her free from her motherland.
Director : Johanna Makabi
Short, 2026, 25 min., France, United States
English. World Premiere.
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May 17, 6:00PM | Maysles Cinema
Marseille, France. Eighteen-year-old Awa is bored spending her summer evenings with her two friends, Charifa and Salomé, in the huge open-air parking lot of the “Centre Valentine” shopping center. To ward off boredom, the friends like to set themselves increasingly absurd challenges. When Awa’s eyes fall on a stranger in the parking lot, her friend challenges her to accost him.
Director : Rémi Sogadji
Short, 2025, 15 min., France
French. US Premiere.
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May 28, 8:00PM | Bam Rose Cinemas
Vieyra, The Innovative Pioneer
Based on an idea by and directed by Stéphane Vieyra, the film imagines a virtual encounter between pioneering Senegalese filmmaker Paulin Soumanou Vieyra and his grandsons during a visit to a museum retracing his life, highlighting his childhood, his encounters, his studies, and his work. Accompanied by the voice of his wife, Myriam Warner Vieyra, it immerses viewers in a poetic, fictional space where timeless words poignantly evoke the departure of a loved one.
Director : Stéphane Soumanou Vieyra
Short, 2025, 9 min., France
French with English Subtitle. US Premiere.
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May 11, 8:15PM | Film at Lincoln Center – Franscesca Beale Theater
Bordeaux, 1987, Christmas Eve. Linda (5), Biram (9), and Roger (20) live apart from their mother, who remains in Gabon. When the eldest leaves for a weekend getaway, the younger siblings, left to their own devices, encounter snow for the first time—with dangerous consequences.
Director : Linda Lô
Short, 2025, 18 min., France
French.
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May 23, 9:15PM | BAM Rose cinema
The story that follows centers on the President of the Land of Diamonds—a fictional character in a fictional world, yet one that remains strikingly close to reality.
Director : Hanna Trabelsi
Short, 2025, 30 min., France
French.
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May 16, 12:00PM | Maysles Cinema