Keith Shiri is set to take the lead curator role in the upcoming Film Africa 2024. Shiri is a prominent figure in the African cinema landscape, serving as the founder and director of Africa at the Pictures, a London-based festival dedicated to showcasing African film.
In addition to his festival work, he holds significant roles as a program adviser for the London Film Festival and as a founding member and current chair of the Africa Movie Academy Awards. His expertise extends to advising the curation of several prestigious international film festivals, including the Venice Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival, and the Dubai International Film Festival, among others.
Beyond his festival involvement, Shiri is the Regional Secretary for Europe at the Federation of African Filmmakers (FEPACI) and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Research and Education in Arts and Media (CREAM) at the University of Westminster.
He also contributes to New York’s Focus Features Africa First Program, which supports emerging African filmmakers through mentorship opportunities, further enhancing his commitment to nurturing talent within the industry.
As he joins Film Africa as a curator, Shiri expresses enthusiasm about the potential for African cinema, which he describes as being in a phase of extraordinary creativity and experimentation.
He emphasizes Film Africa’s role as a crucial platform for sharing these cultural treasures with audiences both on the continent and within Britain’s diverse diaspora communities.
Film Africa 2024 is set to run from October 25 to November 3, continuing its mission to highlight filmmaking from Africa and its diaspora.
The festival is now accepting submissions from filmmakers within these communities, with awards such as the Baobab Award for Best Short Film and the Film Africa Audience Award for Best Feature-Length Entry, each accompanied by a £1,000 cash prize.
The festival encourages diverse submissions across all genres and lengths, emphasizing that films must be produced in 2020 or later to qualify for consideration.