33rd New York African Film Festival brings month‑long celebration to NYC in May

NEW YORK — The 33rd New York African Film Festival will return to New York City in May with a month‑long program showcasing more than 100 films from Africa and its diasporas. According to the festival’s announcement, the lineup spans “theaters, cultural centers, and public spaces” across the city.

The festival runs May 1–30 and highlights contemporary and classic works, filmmaker talks, restored films, and community events. Organizers say this year’s theme, “As the Stars Sow the Earth,” explores memory, land, and the creative traditions that shape African and diasporic futures.

33rd New York African Film Festival Opens at The Africa Center

The festival begins May 1 with a Town Hall at The Africa Center. The program examines “Black Space” and the ways Black communities transform social and physical environments. The press release notes that the event will feature performances, reflections, and conversations with cultural workers.

Film at Lincoln Center Hosts Opening Night

Film at Lincoln Center will host the festival’s official Opening Night on May 6 with the New York premiere of Promised Sky, directed by Erige Sehiri. The drama stars Aïssa Maïga and Laetitia Ky. The document states that the film “opened the 2025 Cannes Un Certain Regard program.”

FLC will also present:

• Centerpiece film: The Eyes of Ghana, executive‑produced by Barack and Michelle Obama
• Restorations: Ferid Boughedir’s Caméra Arabe and Paulin Soumanou Vieyra’s En résidence surveillée
• Special event: A conversation with Boughedir

Harlem’s Maysles Documentary Center Spotlights Documentaries

From May 15–17, Maysles Documentary Center will screen documentaries focused on migration, activism, environmental justice, and cultural preservation. The U.S. premiere of Irene Tassembedo’s La Traversée (The Crossing) opens the Harlem program. The release describes the film as “a thoughtful, affecting reflection on migration.”

Other titles include:

• Wolobougou
• Reclaiming Cocoa
• Amílcar
• Miss Jobson
• Batwing Unmasked: An African Super Hero

33rd New York African Film Festival : BAM’s FilmAfrica Celebrates Uganda

BAM Rose Cinemas will host FilmAfrica from May 22–28 as part of DanceAfrica 2026. The program highlights Ugandan cinema and includes classics, new features, and award‑winning festival titles.

Key screenings include:

• A Tribe Called Love (Opening Night)
• Lady
• Cotton Queen
• My Father’s Shadow
• Mississippi Masala (35th anniversary)
• Memories of Love Returne
•  The Girl in the Yellow Jumper
• The Woman Who Poked the Leopard

33rd New York African Film Festival : Outdoor Closing Night in Harlem

The festival concludes May 30 at St. Nicholas Park with Exuberant Jubilance, an outdoor shorts program celebrating joy, resilience, and community. Films include Rachid, Run Like We, Le Grand Calao, Soko Sonko, and My Jebba Story.

A Month of Film, History, and Cultural Memory

Throughout May, NYAFF will also present a digital exhibition, 36 Years at NYAFF, featuring archival interviews, photographs, and materials from figures such as Ousmane Sembene, Safi Faye, Harry Belafonte, and Miriam Makeba.

Organizers say the festival “affirms that Africa and its Diasporas… have been granted the wisdom, memory, and invention necessary to build sovereign futures.”

For more information, visit the website.