The maiden edition of the Africa International Christian Film Festival (AICFF 2026) has concluded in Abuja, with organisers urging creatives to reclaim storytelling through excellence, identity, and kingdom influence. The four-day event, held from June 3 to 6 at Silverbird Cinemas, featured impactful film screenings, masterclasses, panel discussions, networking, and strategic industry conversations.
Theme and Convener's Message
Convened under the theme 'God's Creative Army', the festival brought together filmmakers, actors, producers, church leaders, distributors, creatives, media practitioners, and Christian storytellers from across Africa and beyond. In his opening remarks, the convener and festival director, Mr Bright Wonder Obasi, charged Christian creatives to embrace both spiritual consecration and creative excellence in their storytelling assignments. He insisted that Christian creatives must boldly reclaim their identity while pursuing excellence as a spiritual responsibility and industry necessity. Obasi described the festival as the gateway for faith-based films into Africa and the launchpad for continental faith films to reach the world.
Notable Speakers and Panel Discussions
Globally recognized faith-film leaders participated, including Alex and Stephen Kendrick (The Kendrick Brothers); Paul Sirmons, President of the International Christian Visual Media (ICVM); Phillip Telpher, Founder of the Christian Worldview Film Festival (CWVFF); and Tim Shields, President of the Content Media Conference. Mike Bamiloye delivered a keynote address titled 'Identity and Kingdom Storytelling', while Dr Felix Oisamoje, Regional Director of the Christian Broadcast Network (CBN), spoke on 'God's Creative Army'. Kunle Falodun, Co-Founder and CEO of A House of Faith, was represented by Teniola Zara King, presenting on 'The State of Faith-Based Filmmaking in Africa'. Panel discussions covered topics such as 'Story VS Sermon: Making Faith-Based Films That Truly Connect', 'How Films Get Bought: Inside the Mind of Distributors', 'Beyond Passion: The Business of Generating Revenue from Faith Films', and 'Africa to the World: Building A Global Pipeline for African Faith-Based Films'. Guest speakers included Moses Babatope, Chris Odeh, Joshua Carpenter, Rex Nwakamma, and Bright Wonder Obasi.
Competitions and Awards
On the final day, six selected short screenplay finalists pitched their stories before industry stakeholders. Tomisin Faoye emerged as the winner, receiving a cash prize of N250,000. Another highlight was the unveiling of six finalists from the Africa Gospel Film Project (AGFP) to begin a mentorship track with Kingdom Story Company, makers of 'Unsung Hero', 'Jesus Revolution', and 'I Can Only Imagine'. The festival culminated in the AICFF Awards 2026, celebrating excellence across 12 categories. Winners included Best Short Film – 'In Custody'; Best Screenplay – 'Where The River Divides'; Best Cinematography – 'Where The River Divides'; Best Editing – 'Forgiving The Nightmare'; Best Male Actor – Gadwill Odhiabo Dennis; and Best Female Actor – Faith Ohuoba.
Looking Ahead
As the curtains closed on the maiden edition, participants left with renewed passion and conviction that Africa's faith-based storytelling movement is entering a transformative era, setting the pace for a bigger and more impactful edition in 2027.
