African Film Press Launches AFP Critics Prize to Elevate African Cinema Criticism

The African Film Press (AFP), a coalition of independent film platforms spanning the continent, has unveiled the AFP Critics Prize, a fresh accolade in Africa that will be awarded by film critics and aims to inject greater visibility and critical insight into festival culture.

Drawing inspiration from the FIPRESCI Prize, the award will make its first appearance this year at the Surreal16 Film Festival (S16) in Lagos, Nigeria, scheduled for December 2025. In the first edition, the prize will be chosen by AFP’s three founding editors—Tambay Obenson (Akoroko), Jennifer Ochieng (Sinema Focus), and Ikeade Oriade (What Kept Me Up). Subsequent editions will involve a broader selection of critics from Africa and the diaspora.

Recipients will receive a monetary award, a trophy, and a certificate. AFP, founded in 2024, has secured funding from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and initial investment from private supporters, and unites three established platforms—Akoroko (pan‑African and global industry focus), Sinema Focus (Kenya and East Africa), and What Kept Me Up (Nigeria and Anglophone West Africa)—with further regional collaborators to come. The inaugural regional partner, concentrating on Southern Africa, is slated to launch in September.

The project is creating a pan‑African network of film journalists and critics committed to covering and scrutinizing Africa’s screen industries, thereby raising public discussion about African cinema from within.

“We view the AFP Critics Prize as a crucial move toward centering African critical voices in festival culture, while also generating visibility and recognition for filmmakers across the continent,” said AFP co‑founder Tambay Obenson. “Surreal16 was the natural venue to launch it. The timing matched, and their focus on bold, independent storytelling made them the ideal partner for the prize.”

“We’re thrilled that the first AFP Critics Prize will be awarded at Surreal16. From the outset, our festival has aimed to create room for risk‑taking and originality, and collaborating with African Film Press guarantees that African critics help shape that dialogue,” said CJ Obasi, filmmaker and co‑founder of Surreal16 Film Festival.

This collaboration with Surreal16 marks the initial step in a series of planned partnerships. AFP plans to present the prize at four African festivals each year, starting with S16 later this year.

Surreal16 Film Festival was founded by Nigerian filmmakers CJ “Fiery” Obasi, Abba Makama, and Michael Omonua. Renowned for its independent ethos and robust curatorial vision, the festival enjoys backing from partners such as the French Embassy, the Dutch Embassy, the Goethe‑Institut, and Sterling Bank. Most recently, Obasi’s film “Mami Wata” received the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematography at Sundance in 2023.

About the African Film Press (AFP)

AFP is a cooperative alliance of film platforms spanning Africa and the diaspora, established in 2024. Its constituents comprise Akoroko, Sinema Focus, and What Kept Me Up, with additional partners forthcoming. AFP delivers journalism, criticism, analysis, research, and intelligence on African screen industries and is launching the AFP Critics Prize to further amplify critical discussion and acknowledgment across the continent.

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