African Film Press (AFP), the cross-regional alliance comprising publications Akoroko, Sinema Focus and What Kept Me Up, has joined Locarno Open Doors programme as an awards partner for 2026, where it will present the AFP Critics Prize to one selected project.
The prize carries a $500 cash award, a certificate, and a commitment to ongoing editorial coverage of the recipient across AFP’s networks. The announcement was made on June 2 from Nairobi.
The AFP Critics Prize was first presented on December 5, 2025, at the fifth edition of the S16 Film Festival in Lagos. The inaugural award went to Nigerian filmmaker Dika Ofoma for his short film Obi Is a Boy. Ofoma had previously participated in Open Doors as a year-one Africa cohort member; his feature project Kachifo (Till the Morning Comes) was selected for the 2025 Open Doors Projects line-up and took home three awards at that edition.
The 2026 programme marks the second year of Open Doors’ four-edition cycle dedicated to 42 African countries, operating under eligibility guidelines set by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. It runs from August 5 to 10 during the Locarno Film Festival and its industry arm, Locarno Pro, combining training, mentoring and networking with public screenings.
AFP is one of two new partners added to the awards roster this year. The other is an EAVE and Luxembourg Film Fund scholarship worth €4,000 for the EAVE Marketing Workshop.
All prizes will be awarded on August 10. Established awards at the programme include the Open Doors Grant of CHF 50,000 from visions sud est and the City of Bellinzona, the CNC Development Prize of €8,000, and the Arte Kino International Prize of €6,000. Further awards come from IFFR Pro, the International Culture Center Tabakalera and San Sebastián Film Festival, the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, and Sørfond.
•Featured image: AFP first presented the prize on December 5, 2025 at the 5th edition of the S16 Film Festival in LagosFrom left: Ikeade Oriade (AFP partner What Kept Me Up), Dika Ofoma, C.J. Obasi (S16)/AFP