Seven Films in One Day at AFRIFF: The Shorts, Standouts and Misses
On my fourth day at AFRIFF, I set aside the film market and watched seven films: six shorts and one feature. The lineup ranged from a Yoruba-inspired animated story about a boy with a magical spear to an AI-generated short that left me questioning how it earned a festival slot. I also found Love and Blood’s story of young love during the Jos crisis preachy, while Waiting For My Sister stood out for Betty Agbo’s eerie performance, despite an ending that undercut its impact. Jarabi, a documentary about three men who left Europe to return to Namibia, felt too casual and lacked the rigour its subject deserved. Calabash brought entertaining wedding-day chaos, though its diaspora-unity message felt heavy-handed. My final film, The Hospital Chronicles (aka The ICU), was an imperfect psychological thriller with strong visual energy and a creepy performance from Michelle Dede. After the screenings, I met two film writers and spent an invigorating hour discussing Nigerian cinema. The day left me convinced that we cannot compromise on quality. AFRIFF needs sharper curation and a stronger focus on the films, not just the glitz and glamour. I went home with tired eyes and look forward to Day 5.
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