The Annual Film Mischief (TAFM) will return for its second Pan African edition from April 27th till April 30th 2023 with physical screenings in Lagos, Abuja and Accra. This year, the theme is #ShootTheCulture.

This theme is a call to action for us to tell stories that reflect and celebrate our uniqueness in an innovative and global way. It also refers to unlearning the things we have come to accept as norms, as well as attitudes that often limit us as creatives.

Disruption is now the new normal and in order for us to remain competitive in the Global M&E conversation, we must forge our own path and present images from a variety of different perspectives, embracing innovation and technology.

TAFM will also continue in our virtual day tradition and dedicate one day for virtual screenings and mischief sessions/ discussions with industry professionals on very interesting topics. 

TAFM is very passionate about driving FilmTech in Africa and as such, in partnership with Impact Hub Lagos’s Creative Fridays platform, we are pleased to announce our first annual FilmTech Conference. The topic for the conference is “Innovation For Local”. Ojie Imoloame, Executive Director, says “the one-day conference is for key creators & innovators, startups and other stakeholders in the FilmTech space. We will spotlight the growth of local solutions to local problems in the African film industry. The goal of this conference is to discuss initiatives that will pave the way for a Globally competitive talent pool to effectively compete in the 4th revolution”.

In line with our Pan-African evolution, we are pleased to present our jury for our 2023 edition:

Meet the Jury:

“As Film Rats is dedicated to promoting film education and documentation towards improving filmmaking in Africa, this year, we dared to capture the stories of filmmakers across Africa, spotlighting them and their works. This is very important to us, to activate the spirit of celebrating unique styles and storytellers who go the extra mile to shoot the culture and redefine the narrative of the African experience.” said Film Rats Founder, Chukwu Martin

With thrice the number of submissions from last year, Uche Chika Elumelu, one of TAFM’s Festival Director duo, has this to say about this year’s official selections. “What I find particularly exciting is the crop of filmmakers we are showcasing this year. Nothing says _Young & African_ quite like that vibrant push towards global acclaim. TAFM is truly honoured to be a part of that narrative.” 

TAFM is a program of The Film Rats Club. TAFM is proudly sponsored by Viva Cinemas Nigeria, Impact Hub Lagos, Albantsho & Cadbury PLC.

TechEconomy is an official media partner. Others are BellaNaija, WhatKeptmeUp, Phoenix Tribe, In Nollywood, Nollywire, Radio Now, The Casting Place, Kraks TV, Take One Productions, Tobide Productions, Coalians Photography, Jide Pounds Ibitoye, SwitchFocus, GhMovieFreak, WineGrey Media and Games Hut.

The festival is free for all to attend. Register here

Last year at its maiden edition, TAFM had amazing movies screened such as Owen Olowu’s “Songs of Ubong” (Winner, TAFM Grand Cheese Prize), Reflections (Winner, Best Screenplay), The Samaritan (Winner, Audience Cheese Pick), with award-winning Chuko & Ari Esiri’s “Eyimofe” opening the film festival and Paul Utomi’s “Country Hard” delivering an excellent close.

While the maiden edition focused mostly on films of Nigerian descent, this year, TAFM ’23 will open to films across Africa.

Here’s what founder, ‘Chukwu Martin, has to say about TAFM ’22:

“In March 2022, we launched The Annual Film Mischief to shine the spotlight on filmmakers daring to tell stories with unique narratives and styles. This would continue to be at the core of our festival.

“The average African filmmaker comes from humble beginnings and though there will be limited resources, there will never be limits to creativity, hence our theme – ‘Less is More’. It was a call to action to reach beyond financial limitations and dig into the abundant well of creativity. We had some successes to celebrate. ‘Yahoo+’, one of the films screened at TAFM ’22, went on to get nationwide theatrical distribution with moderate success at the Nigerian box office.

“We brought audiences to see Owen Olowu’s clever film ‘Songs of Ubong’ which went on to win more laurels at different festivals. Beyond the films, we also became a hub for networking, connecting young tech entrepreneurs in the film industry with venture capitalists. We were overwhelmed with the support from Impact Hub, Viva Cinemas, Uber, Malta Guinness, Thursday Film Series, Albantsho, our Headline Sponsor, RedTV, and many others, who worked with us to ensure the festival’s success. We are challenging ourselves to be better than the last which of course, leads us to TAFM ’23 opening to filmmakers across Africa.

“It is us calling on African filmmakers, home and abroad, to reignite their passion for film and ‘shoot the culture!’ which is this year’s theme. This avant-garde edition is looking to connect African storytellers, change attitudes towards film & filmmaking and expose audiences to a more extensive taste of cultural experiences.”

Festival co-directors, Uche Chika Elumelu and Tomi Folowosele further explained what #ShootTheCulture means and why;

“TAFM ’22 was beautiful. We celebrated brilliant films with little or no budget. It was truly refreshing to see the audience enthusiastically engage with these incredible stories. We are delighted to return for another edition; celebrating film with all African filmmakers. The theme we have chosen for TAFM ’23 is #ShootTheCulture. This reflects uniqueness from the African eye, encouraging filmmakers to dig deep into our culture and tell our stories; weave the most beautiful tales into colourful robes for the world to marvel at.”

So, what are you waiting for, filmmakers? Grab your cameras, call your team, and get ready to #ShootTheCulture! Festival selections will include feature and short films both domestic and international.

Submissions

Submissions for the 2023 edition of The Annual Film Mischief will officially open on November 1st, 2022, and filmmakers are encouraged to submit entries early with the regular deadline through TAFM’s filmfreeway page. What’s more? TAFM is free!

“TAFM is delighted to showcase the innovative minds of the next generation of African filmmakers with film screenings, Q&A sessions with creators, Roundtable conversations, masterclasses, and seminars to encourage discourse and document the industry’s journey and future”.

Meet the Festival team or via INSTAGRAM