The African Film Press (AFP), a new alliance of independent film platforms, has announced a new award for filmmakers to be launched at Nigeria’s Surreal16 Film Festival in December.
The AFP Critics Prize, modeled after the FIPRESCI Prize, aims to bring additional visibility and critical perspectives into festival culture, according to a statement from the organization. The award will be selected by film critics from across the continent and will include a cash prize, a trophy, and a certificate.
The inaugural prize will be chosen by AFP’s three founding editors: Tambay Obenson of Akoroko, Jennifer Ochieng of Sinema Focus, and Ikeade Oriade of What Kept Me Up. Future editions will draw from a wider pool of African and diaspora critics, the organization said.
“We see the AFP Critics Prize as an important step in centering African critical voices in festival culture,” said Tambay Obenson, co-founder of AFP. “Surreal16 was the natural place to begin. The timing aligned, and their focus on bold, independent storytelling made it the right partner for launching the prize.”
AFP, founded in 2024, is building a pan-African network of film journalists and critics dedicated to covering and analyzing Africa’s screen industries. The organization has received funding from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and private backers.
CJ Obasi, filmmaker and co-founder of the Surreal16 Film Festival, said, “From the beginning, our festival has been about creating space for risk-taking and originality, and partnering with African Film Press ensures African critics are part of shaping that conversation.”
The Surreal16 Film Festival was launched by Nigerian filmmakers CJ “Fiery” Obasi, Abba Makama, and Michael Omonua. Obasi’s film Mami Wata won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematography at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
The partnership with Surreal16 is the first of several planned collaborations for AFP, which intends to present the prize at four African festivals annually.
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