Zuma Film Festival 2024 dates announced

Mariya Bunkure, Ali Nuhu and others at meeting on Zuma Film Festival 2024

Organisers of Zuma Film Festival (ZUFF) have announced dates for the 2024 edition.

The festival, which has been held annually from 2017 till date, will take place December 1– 5 in Abuja.

This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja and signed by the spokesperson for the festival and public affairs director of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) Brian Etuk.

The festival themed “Digital Renaissance: Embracing the Future” is the 14th edition in the series. It aims to project the transformative imperativeness of the digital age in upscaling motion picture practice.

ZUFF 2024 will also highlight the capabilities of digital platforms as well as inherent opportunities thereof for job creation and wealth generation through the effective utilisation of digital tools for storytelling, content production, monetisation, exhibition and distribution.

NFC managing director/chief executive, Ali Nuhu, on behalf of the corporation and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said that efforts in mounting Zuma Film Festival 2024 have since commenced, given the national and global importance as well as its short, medium and long term positive impact on the nation’s creative sector.

Nuhu assured that both the FCTA and the NFC are committed to mounting ZUFF 2024.

He stated that ZUFF will continue to provide opportunities and empower filmmakers to embrace the digital renaissance movement by positioning them at the forefront of global cinematic conversation and narratives, while at the same time sustaining Nigeria’s dominance within the regional and continental creative economy.

Nuhu said, “We must continue to create opportunities through platforms such as the Zuma Film Festival to deploy our energy and resources to harness the rich diverse national and continental, yet beautiful cultures with our impressive and unique storytelling skills.”

Programme bouquet of the festival includes daily film screening, film master classes, symposia, film and television market, content creation and exhibition fora, film project pitching sessions, co-production engagements, states and foreign nations (embassy/high commission) special days, special lifetime tributes, and the prestigious ZUMA Awards with winners emerging from the various feature film/video; animation/cartoon, documentary film, student film, short film, music video, artistic films/art house and the recently innovative indigenous films category for Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and any other local Nigerian language film as well as children film entry submissions for best picture, sound, costumes, actor, actress, director, short film, music video, skit, and foreign film, among others.

Attendance at the film fiesta in Abuja will reflect a robust national, continental and global film stakeholders’ participation as well as Africa Film Commission delegates’ attendance, who will join Nigerian stakeholders in bringing their wealth and experiences to bear at the various festival programmes.

Given the festival bouquet which has consistently been enhanced to address all sectors of the film production value chain, the five-day gathering of film and television industry as well as other stakeholders from across Nigeria, and beyond the continent, will once more offer an opportunity to present the best of Nigeria’s arts, creative, film and entertainment industry to the world, Etuk said.

ZUFF is being jointly hosted by the FCTA and NFC.