At least 66 countries are set to participate in the 7th edition of the Kano Indigenous Languages of Africa Film Market and Festival (KILAF), scheduled for November 30, 2024.
The event will be chaired by Professor Emmanuel Emasealu and has announced the nominees for the KILAF ’24 Awards. Abdulkareem Mohammed, the founder and CEO of KILAF, shared this information during a news conference at the NUJ Press Centre in Kano on Tuesday.
KILAF, which began in 2018, is an annual film festival celebrating indigenous languages in Africa and promoting their cross-border sales. Mohammed noted that KILAF has established a welcoming platform that attracts global participation.
“This year’s event is expected to be enriching and engaging, with 510 film entries from 66 countries competing. Among these, 35 African nations contributed 430 entries. A total of 57 films from 16 countries have made it to the nomination list and are eligible for any of the 17 KILAF ’24 Film Competition categories,” he stated.
The five-day festival will include various activities designed to foster interactive engagement, all part of a curated program aimed at uniting Africa’s creative arts, economy, culture, and tourism.
Highlights include a Welcome Dinner hosted by Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, a KILAF ’24 Conference themed “Forging Cultural Identity in a Multilingual Africa: The Role of Indigenous Language Films” in partnership with the Faculty of Communication at Bayero University, and master classes focused on capacity building opportunities led by Dr. Victor Okhai, President of the Directors’ Guild of Nigeria.
Additionally, a Women in Media Business Summit will be chaired by Hajiya Hannatu Musa Musawa, the Honorable Minister of Culture, Arts and Creative Economy, featuring Ugandan media professional Atusasiire Barbara as the presenter, in collaboration with Shafana Innovative Hub, a Kano-based NGO focused on entrepreneurial development.