Launched in November 2020, The African Film Festival Atlanta (AFFATL) is now in its 4th year in 2024. AFFAATL is a signature event of the African Film & Arts Foundation Inc.,), a non-profit 501(c)(3) media arts organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, and our mission is to magnify and celebrate the visions, voices, lives, and stories of people from Africa and the African Diaspora through the lens of film, culture and the arts.

The 2024 festival has been postponed to March 13 - 17, 20205

The goal of AFFATL is to be part of the conversation as well as provide action-driven input in improving the image of the continent through the showcase and distribution of films by Africans and Africans in the Diaspora.

With the spread of African pop music like AfroBeats, the popularity of industries like Nollywood (Nigerian Film Industry - which is purported to be the 2nd largest distributor of films in the world) and the running joke of the Jollof Rice Wars, we no longer have that “single story” about Africa. Technology and social media have helped springboard multiple homogeneous stories about Africa.

Atlanta, now considered "Black Hollywood" with a significant number of African migrants, is reputed to be the 3rd largest settlement for Africans in the USA. The Caribbean population is quite significant as well. Coupled with the fact that Atlanta is the epicenter of the film industry in Georgia, a state that produces the largest quantity of film in the USA, a home-grown African Film Festival in Atlanta is long overdue.

Atlanta is also home to the World's busiest airport with direct flights to many African countries so which makes it an ideal location to host such an international event.
Come join us! #AfricanFilmFestAtl #AfricaToTheWorld #TellingOurOwnTales

Awards & Prizes

JURIED AWARDS:
Best Narrative Feature
Best Documentary Feature
Best Narrative Short
Best Documentary Short

Rules & Terms

ELIGIBILITY & SUBMISSION
i) Films submitted to AFFATL are created by and/or about people from Africa and of African descent. The content should have a strong link to stories told about people of African descent experience on the continent and/or the diaspora.

ii) All genres of film are welcome [adventure, animation, comedy, drama, experimental, horror, romance, sci-fi ] in short, web series, narrative and documentary form.

iii) Films submitted must have been created after January 1, 2021

iv) Submission's not in English should be duly subtitled

v) Please make sure all requested information is filled out in the submission application in order to avoid delay in being considered. If information is not completed by the deadline, application can be rejected.

vi) Works in progress are not accepted at this time.

vii) Waivers: Only student rates (with proof of ID) are currently available

viii) Entry fees are non-refundable.

iv) We encourage submissions should be at least Atlanta premiers. We also give preference to world premieres even though this is not a mandatory requirement. We encourage filmmakers to notify AFFATL for update of premier status.

x) We only accept online screeners either uploaded directly via the FilmFreeway portal or as password protected Vimeo/YouTube links within the FilmFreeway submission. Downloads are not acceptable forms of submission

If you believe you have submitted your film to the wrong category, contact us immediately. While we can typically facilitate a change in category, the entrant will be responsible for any changes in submission fees. We cannot offer partial refunds for categories with a smaller fee. If the new category has a higher fee, the entrant is responsible for paying the difference.
11 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Thierry Bugaud

    Festival de qualité !! Merci beaucoup pour votre professionnalisme! C'est ça le réseau.
    A l'an prochain :-)

    October 2023
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  • Simone Brioni

    Absolutely hands down a fantastic film festival and was super proud to be part of it! So honored that our film "Maka" was selected. Thank you so much for your kindness, professionalism and support. The q&a session led by Mojisola Sonoiki was a great opportunity for networking and learning more about the work by other filmmakers. I highly recommend it!

    October 2023
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  • Gosia Juszczak

    So happy to have been part of the festival. Great and dedicated team, wonderful networking opportunities. Great Q&A seddions. Hope to se you all next year in person.<3

    December 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you. We will be back in 2023

  • Samuel Ntsanwisi

    It was an amazing well organised Festival

    December 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Thanks

  • Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi

    Great festival with a lot of heart and love. Thank you for the opportunity to screen out film Bakosó: Afrobeats of Cuba and help connect the African diaspora!

    November 2021
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    Response from festival:

    We loved connecting with our folks in Cuba too!!!