Part of Shorts Program 3: Awakenings at FilmAfrica 2026
A set of recent short films made in Canada, the US, Belgium, Senegal, France, the UK, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo shoots for the stars with optimistic aspirations.
Fantas (2024)
Dir. Halima Elkhatabi
13min; DCP
Canada
In French with English subtitles
Tania decides to take her horse Fantas to meet her friends in her working-class neighborhood. By sharing her passion, she seeks to bring together two parts of herself, two worlds that have never crossed paths before, which will collide in an urban tale with surreal overtones.
Hope (2026)
Dir. Jamal Ademola
4min; DCP
US
After doom-scrolling on social media, a young poet named Salome Agbaroji is thrust into a fantastic journey through a magical animated realm, where she encounters a majestic Black Crowned Crane.
Memories of Us (2023)
Dir. Sonia Bekam
10min; DCP
Belgium
In French with English subtitles
Memories of Us traces the slow unraveling of a young couple’s relationship through fragments of their shared memories. Through Woman’s reflective voice, moments of everyday life reveal a bond that begins to weaken. As Man grows distant, Woman starts questioning herself and tries to become the woman she believes he wants. But the more she tries to be seen, the clearer his indifference becomes. Through tension, silence, and unresolved conflict, Woman comes to realize that the love she believed they shared has long been sustained by her own emotional labor. Returning to the seaside where the story began, she finally confronts the truth of their relationship and chooses to reclaim herself.
The Dream (2026)
Dir. Tyler Woodruff
2min; DCP
US
In French with English subtitles
World Premiere
Kadija, a young Senegalese woman, narrates a recurring dream she’s been having. Loaded with spiritual implications, its meaning is to be interpreted rather than understood.
White Agbada (2025)
Dir. Lande Yoosuf
12min; DCP
US
In English and Yoruba with English subtitles
New York Premiere
Ibironke, a Nigerian-American woman whose life is stagnant, engages in self-destructive behaviors to cope. Her concerned sister calls her one day to propose a family trip to Nigeria for spiritual assistance. Ibironke is totally against this and continues to engage in her bad habits—including a casual relationship with an engaged prospective business partner who has a baby on the way. When their post-sex discussion accelerates into a fight, an ancestor who has dropped Easter eggs throughout her day appears in her mirror, terrifying her. She immediately knows this climactic sighting is a radical call for change.
Concrete Moves (2025)
Dir. Fagamou Fama Ndiaye
12min; DCP
Senegal
In French and Wolof with English subtitles
US Premiere
Concrete Moves is inspired by a childhood memory: the fear triggered by a snake during a school trip to the Mamelles lighthouse in Dakar. Returning to that same hill decades later, director Fagamou Fama Ndiaye finds a coastline transformed by relentless urban expansion. Through dance, archival images, the invocation of memory, and the metaphor of the snake as a city shedding its skin, the film traces a journey through a place where concrete slowly erases memory, nature, and the traces of the past.
Sunset Valentine (2025)
Dir. Rémi Sogadji
15min; DCP
France
In French with English subtitles
US Premiere
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 in Marseille, France. To ward off boredom, the friends set themselves increasingly absurd challenges. When Awa's eyes fall on a stranger in the parking lot, her friend challenges her to accost him.
Iku Aka (2025)
Dir. Tiffany Lotanna Onyejekwe
12min; DCP
US
In English and Igbo with English subtitles
World Premiere
In a film written, directed, filmed, and produced by a crew of all Black women including three of Nigerian-American descent, Chinelo approaches what should be one of the happiest days of her life: her wedding. Her soon-to-be fiance must complete Iku Aka, the first stage of cultural marriage in Igbo land, by asking her mother for her hand in marriage. Out of respect for tradition, Chinelo’s mother appoints her uncle, Festus, to speak on the family’s behalf as the eldest and most successful man—but he also is a man who sexually assaulted Chinelo when she was young. The confrontation forces her down a rabbit hole of memories, compelling her to face the deficiencies of tradition.
Overcomer (2024)
Dir. Wale Adetul
11min; DCP
UK
In English, Yoruba with English subtitles
New York Premiere
Toni has spent years struggling with self-esteem, a deep facial scar, and the weight of family expectations. With an important job interview on the horizon, she meticulously prepares to present the perfect version of herself, hiding her insecurities behind a wig and makeup. Her carefully constructed facade is shaken when the interview changes from virtual to in-person, triggering a crisis of confidence that reaches a breaking point on the day of the interview. Exploring themes of self-acceptance, societal pressure, and familial expectations, Overcomer is a powerful character-driven drama about waging internal and external battles, set against the backdrop of a modern Black woman’s experience in London.
The Star (2021)
Dir. Kevin Mavakala
14min; DCP
DRC
In French and Lingala with English subtitles
New York Premiere
An actress is reluctant to kiss an actor with bad breath at a particular scene during the shoot. After several takes, she relents and decides to go through with it—but unfortunately, when looking at the rushes, the director realizes the camera didn’t capture the scene since the battery in the camera had died!