KILAF Pledges to Champion African Culture Through Youth-Led Indigenous Filmmaking
The Kano Indigenous Languages of Africa Film Market and Festival (KILAF)Â has announced its commitment to empowering Nigerian youth to produce films that actively promote and project the rich norms and cultural heritage of Africa.
This declaration was made by the Managing Director, Alhaji Abdulkarim Muhd, during a press briefing held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Kano State Council.
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Highlighting the global reach of this year’s event, Abdulkarim revealed that the 8th edition of the KILAF festival has received an impressive 616 film submissions from 17 countries, with twelve nations scheduled to host events during the festival.
In line with its mission to contribute to film scholarship, the festival has also published six academic publications for use in social production and academia. “We are truly contributing to the body of knowledge in the study of filmmaking,” Abdulkarim stated, while presenting copies of last year’s now-available publication.
The competition is set to be fierce, with 14 nations represented among the 87 nominations vying for awards. Several films are international co-productions, involving countries such as the UK, USA, Israel, and Italy. A seven-member jury will select winners from these nominations, with awards to be presented in 18 distinct categories on November 8th.
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“Due to the meticulous and rigorous nature of our jurors’ selection process, we assure every nominee that he or she is a winner, nonetheless,” Abdulkarim said. “We congratulate all official KILAF 2025 nominees because they truly deserve it.”
Further expanding its initiatives, KILAF announced its 2nd Entrepreneurship Summit for Women in Media Business. Scheduled for November 8th (10:00 AM – 2:00 PM) at the Dangote Business School, Bayero University New Site, Kano, the summit is designed to encourage the participation and success of female entrepreneurs in the media ecosystem.
The program, which targets 100 women beneficiaries, aims to draw participants from media organizations, the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), Stand Up for Women’s Rights, and Women in Media.
