Film projects from Nigeria are among the titles selected for the 17th edition of the Durban FilmMart InstitutePitch and Finance Forum, with in-development animation and fiction works by filmmakers including C.J. Obasi, Damilola Solesi’s Smids Animation Studios and The Agbajowo Collective making this year’s lineup.
The market, regarded as one of Africa’s leading co-production and film finance platforms, will take place in Durban, South Africa, from October 9 to 12. Thirty-six in-development projects were selected across animation, fiction, documentary and series categories from different African countries. According to the organisers, the selected filmmakers will receive mentorship and pitch training ahead of the event, where they will present their projects to potential financiers, distributors and co-production partners.
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Among the Nigerian selections in animation is Hadu: The Series, produced by animation filmmaker Damilola Solesi and directed by Precious Anih. Solesi is the founder of Smids Animation Studios, one of the studios at the forefront of Nigeria’s animation industry. The series expands on Hadu, the animated short film about a young girl who tries to bring her grandmother’s recipes to life. It screened at the 2025 editions of both FESPACO and International Film Festival Rotterdam, where it won the Best Animation award at FESPACO.
Also selected is JUJU SOCCER, an animated series directed by C.J. Obasi and produced by Oge Obasi and Somto Ajuluchukwu. The project follows a struggling street football club whose fortunes change after a young apprentice mystic joins the team. Obasi, known for genre-driven films such as Mami Wata, Ojuju and Juju Stories, described the project in a recent interview as his long-awaited entry into animation.
In recent months, Obasi has unveiled several new projects, including A Blue Butterfly, a psychological drama starring Sanaa Lathan and Steve Toussaint, as well as a new feature being developed through an African-Korean residency programme launched at the Cannes Film Festival with support from Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary.
In the features section, The Boy Who Spoke Static, produced by Mathew Cerf and directed by The Agbajowo Collective, features. The collective gained international attention with The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos, a socially conscious drama set in Lagos waterfront communities that has spent time on the festival circuit, including a world premiere at TIFF 2024. The group’s work often combines activism, community storytelling and fantasy elements rooted in Lagos life.
The Agbajowo Collective includes filmmakers and community storytellers from across Lagos, with producer Mathew Cerf also serving as one of the editors on The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos. Now available on KweliTV, their debut film drew attention for showcasing forced evictions and displacement in Lagos waterfront settlements.
The 17th edition of the Durban FilmMart was originally scheduled to hold in July before organisers moved the event to October following what the institute described as significant funding challenges affecting the global arts and film sector.
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