Nigerian project I Live in V.I. and Ghana’s Too Much Music have picked up prizes at the 2026 Locarno Open Doors, with the latter receiving CHF10,000 in development funding.
The awards come in the second year of Open Doors’ current four-year focus on Africa, as the initiative continues its mandate to support filmmakers and producers from selected underrepresented regions of the continent through project development, talent programmes and industry opportunities.
A social satire about class, urban space and gentrification in contemporary Lagos, I Live in V.I. is directed by Ugochukwu Azuya and produced by Olubunmi Ogunsola at ENSEMBLE. The project received the Tabakalera–San Sebastian Film Festival Residency Award, which includes a residency at Tabakalera and participation in the industry activities of the San Sebastian Film Festival.
Ghanaian filmmaker Aseye Fiagbe’s Too Much Music is a feature documentary portrait of keyboard prodigy Kiki Gyan, tracing the musician who joined Osibisa as a teenager and later helped shape African disco and funk. Produced by Fiagbe through Aseye Fiagbe Creative Studio, the project received CHF10,000 ($12,400) from the Open Doors Grants.
A total of CHF50,000 was awarded through the grant scheme, sponsored by Visions Sud Est with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the City of Bellinzona and Open Doors.
Uganda’s A Vineyard For A Lobster, directed by Talemwa Pius and produced by Emmanuel Gashumba of Gripmagic Uganda, received CHF20,000, while Accept My Plea for Burial, by Mohammed Sheikh and produced by Kadir Harbi of Aleel Films, received another CHF20,000 for the Somalia/Djibouti project.
Mozambique’s ‘Submergido’ Wins AFP Critics Prize
Mozambican project Submergido, directed by Ariel Añez, was awarded the AFP Critics Prize. Produced by Joseph Mata and co-produced by Añez through Maochas Filmes, the project receives a $500 cash award, and a certificate.
The designated Open Doors 2026 jury for the prize comprised active critics from the continent: Kelvin Kariuki (Kenya), Vivian Nwajiaku (Nigeria) and Jeffrey Ini-Abasi (Nigeria). In its citation, the jury described Submergido as “sad and poignant yet ultimately hopeful,” highlighting its exploration of “the human cost of conflict, especially for those whose loved ones are directly involved in war.”
The AFP Critics Prize is presented by African Film Press LLC, a cross-regional publishing alliance covering African film, television and digital media markets.
Other Open Doors 2026 Winners
Mozambique recorded another win with Chapa 100, directed by Ique Langa and produced by Lara Sousa of Kulunga Filmes, which received the €8,000 CNC Development Grant.
Tanzania/Kenya project The Ones with the Tempered Flowers, directed by Neema Ngelime and produced by Ivy Kiru, won two prizes: the €6,000 ArteKino International Award and the Sørfond Award, which includes participation at the Sørfond Pitching Forum during the Films from the South festival in Norway in November.
Burkina Faso’s Mamounata Nikiema of Pilumpiku Production received the EAVE Award, a scholarship worth €4,000 for the EAVE Marketing Workshop.
Ivorian producer Adja Mariam Mahre Soro of Studio KÄ received the Rotterdam Lab Award, which will take her to IFFR Pro’s Rotterdam Lab in January 2027.
Angolan filmmaker Pocas Pascoal’s Sarah received the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie consultancy prize, awarded to an eligible feature film or series project for their script development.
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