The S16 Film Festival closed its fifth edition with some major announcements, unveiling plans to launch a film lab, monthly screenings, and a dedicated distribution arm beginning in 2026. What began as a filmmaker-centred festival founded by the minds behind titles like Juju Stories, Ojuju, The Lost Okoroshi, and Mami Wata (with upcoming individual projects including CJ Obasi’s La Pyramide and Michael Omonua’s Galatians)is now evolving into a multi-platform ecosystem designed to nurture and position Nigerian auteurs on the global stage.
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Born from the founders’ early-career challenges navigating Nigeria’s limited film infrastructure, S16 has steadily evolved into the kind of institution they once needed. This mission was reaffirmed at the festival’s closing event, which followed the screening of Memory of Princess Mumbi and a series of announcements that chart the collective’s ambitions for the next five years.
S16 also revealed an international partnership that signals their growing global footprint. In collaboration with the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, five Nigerian filmmakers (Kagho Idhebor, Nneoma Ann Aligwe, Nosazemen Agbontaen and Uzoamaka Power) will travel to France next year, with Dika Ofoma’s Obi Is a Boy screening in competition.
From being one of the few festivals in the region that pays filmmakers for participating, S16 is now expanding into building long-term infrastructure for film culture and circulation.
Beginning in 2026, S16 will introduce a slate of new initiatives aimed at deepening year-round engagement with filmmakers and audiences. The collective will launch monthly film screenings in partnership with the Goethe-Institut, expanding the festival’s footprint beyond its annual edition. Next year will see the establishment of the S16 Film Lab (details on its structure and location are forthcoming), which will offer early-career filmmakers a dedicated space for developing new projects.
S16 is also entering the distribution landscape. Its first move is a partnership with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) that will bring films to a nationwide audience. In another structural shift, the festival will introduce affordable ticketing for screenings and events, marking a departure from its first five free editions and responding to the recurring issue of reserved seats going unused. Public submissions for the 2026 festival will also open via Film Freeway ahead of next year’s edition.
Over the next five years, S16 will also launch S16 Films, a production arm dedicated to nurturing a new generation of auteurs. Another major project is the S16 Centre, a facility that will house a film institute, film school, cinema space, café, shop, and library.
With these developments (to be followed closely by WKMUp), S16’s expansion comes at a pivotal moment for Nigeria’s film industry, which is grappling with shrinking streamer investment, persistent funding gaps, and a distribution system that remains difficult for emerging filmmakers to penetrate.
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