African Film Festival, Inc. (AFF)’s flagship program, the annual New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) is curated around a timely theme and presented in collaboration with Film at Lincoln Center, Maysles Cinema, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music's BAMcinématek. During the festival, which runs for 3 weeks in the spring, approximately 100 classic and contemporary films are screened, including rarely seen archival works. Films are followed by discussions with filmmakers and/or other film experts, as well as workshops and public talks.

The festival has been attended by African film pioneers such as Ousmane Sembène and Safi Faye, as well as other notable established filmmakers who showed their first films at the NYAFF.

Rules & Terms

Submissions may be of any genre and length and should be made by or about people of African descent. Preference will be given to films completed within the last two years, and that will have their New York premiere at NYAFF in May 2026. Please note, the festival will not feature films that are already available for streaming online or on public television.

Due to the location of the festival, non-English language film submissions must have English subtitles.

We may accept DCPs, Blu-ray disc copies, or high-definition film files, for festival projection depending on program needs.

The NYAFF will not accept watermarked films for public presentation.