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Celebrating African
storytelling and the voices behind the screen.

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Awards Earned Through Excellence

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Years of Creative Events and Success
Awards

Each year, WAFF recognizes outstanding achievements in African cinema.

Our awards celebrate bold storytelling, artistic innovation, and cultural impact across film categories.

Winners are selected by a panel of industry professionals, community leaders, and audience members, reflecting our festival’s commitment to inclusivity, representation, and dialogue.

Award Categories

Best Feature Film

Honouring the most outstanding full-length African film for its storytelling, direction, and cultural impact.

Best Documentary

Recognising exceptional nonfiction filmmaking that sheds light on real stories, voices, and issues across Africa and its diaspora.

Best Short Film

Celebrating creativity in short-form cinema that captures powerful stories in under 40 minutes.

People's Choice Award

Chosen by the audience, this award celebrates the film that most resonated with viewers at the festival.

Juries

2025 Jury Members:

Our juries are made up of accomplished filmmakers, critics, and cultural leaders who bring diverse expertise to the evaluation process. They ensure that WAFF continues to highlight stories that inspire, challenge, and connect audiences.

 

PAST WINNERS

WAFF has a proud history of celebrating African films that resonate across borders.

Best Feature at WAFF 2025

By Hawa Holmes

A South African relationship expert whose seemingly perfect life is disrupted by a painful betrayal. Her journey toward healing takes a new turn when she meets Edward Obi, a Nigerian photographer with a mysterious past. As their romance blossoms, secrets threaten to unravel their bond.

Best Short Film 2025

Director Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda

In Sierra Leone, best friends Aya and Boi decide to marry each other in an attempt to escape escape society's pressures to conform.

Best Documentary and People’s Choice Award

Director Tessa Barlin

Fading Footprints tells the story of an ancient culture on the brink of extinction. The Ju|'hoansi tribe are one of over 30 dialects of indigenous San people who hold the precious wisdom of over 60 000 years. But now, they find themselves at a crossroad in time - stuck between the old world and the new.

Jury Prize Award for Best Short Film 2024,
& People's Choice Award 2024

Four multi-disciplinary artists, Teejay, Anum, Faisal, and ND Godwin carry their craft like memory-layered, lived, and loud. They speak of struggle, silence, and the hunger to create art, even through the storm. Through movement, film and performance, they carve space for themselves.

Jury Prize Award for Best Short Film 2024
& People's Choice Award 2024

Four multi-disciplinary artists, Teejay, Anum, Faisal, and ND Godwin carry their craft like memory-layered, lived, and loud. They speak of struggle, silence, and the hunger to create art, even through the storm. Through movement, film and performance, they carve space for themselves.

Best Documentary and People’s Choice Award

Director Tessa Barlin

Fading Footprints tells the story of an ancient culture on the brink of extinction. The Ju|'hoansi tribe are one of over 30 dialects of indigenous San people who hold the precious wisdom of over 60 000 years. But now, they find themselves at a crossroad in time - stuck between the old world and the new.

Be Part of the Story

Whether as a filmmaker, jury member, or festival supporter, WAFF invites you to celebrate African cinema with us.

 

Submit Your Film