The S16 Film Festival 2025, scheduled to run from December 1 to 5 at Alliance Française in Lagos, has released its official short film selections following Tuesday’s announcement, with the feature film lineup still expected.
Now in its fifth year, the festival maintains its focus on experimental and boundary-pushing Nigerian cinema, offering visibility to filmmakers whose distinct voices and perspectives sit outside the mainstream.
Among the shortlisted titles are Obi is a Boy by Dika Ofoma, Journey of Singleness by Barnabas Ayo-Ilekhaize, Mother by Olamide Adio and Victor Daniel, Back to the Theatre Vox by Amina Awa Niang, Ode! There is No Bus Stop on This Trip by Donald Tombia, About Sarah by S.A.D. Aloka, Traces of the Sun by Rete Poki, and 70 × 7 by Chiemeka Osuagwu.
The festival will open with Cotton Queen by Suzannah Mirghani, her debut feature and the first directed by a Sudanese woman. Supported by the Red Sea Fund, the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and later screened at the Doha Film Festival.
The closing film will be Memory of Princess Mumbi by Damien Hauser, which premiered earlier this year at Giornate degli Autori during the Venice Film Festival and at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF 50).
Beyond screenings, the festival will introduce the AFP Critics Award, a new prize designed to recognise African film critics and highlight their contributions to the continent’s cinema culture. The award will debut at the Lagos edition of the festival in December.
Founded in 2021 by filmmakers CJ Obasi, Abba Makama, and Michael Omonua, S16 Film Festival has received support from institutions including the French Embassy, the Dutch Embassy, the Goethe-Institut, and Sterling Bank.
