Entertainment Week Africa (EWA) will return to Lagos from November 17-22 for its fifth edition, featuring the world premiere of Livespot Studios’ first scripted feature film and an expanded Film & TV programme built around a new Content Market for the African screen.
The 2026 edition, themed “Closing the Gap,” will centre on deal-making, capital access and intellectual property development across the continent’s creative economy, according to organisers. The event has grown since its 2021 launch into a platform connecting talent, investors, commissioners, buyers and policymakers.
A highlight of this year’s programme is the premiere of “University of Side Hustle,” a Lagos-set feature written by Dami Elebe and executive produced by Deola Art Alade. The film marks Livespot Studios’ first scripted feature and Darey Art Alade’s directorial debut.
The expanded Film & TV programme will include a Content Market designed to link African screen productions with international buyers, distributors and commissioners. Organisers said the initiative builds on EWA’s Story Lab, which has produced six pitch-ready story concepts from 15 shortlisted writers.
EWA 2026 will run across seven tracks: Film & TV, Music, Fashion & Beauty, AI & Tech, Art & Animation, Live Events & Production, and Creative Enterprise, with Art & Animation added as a new category this year. Each track will include pitch sessions, closed-door industry meetings and market access initiatives.
Commercial programming will be anchored by the EWA Deal Room, Content and Music Markets, the EWA Capital Desk, the Creators Hub and LABSPOT, the platform’s skills and enterprise development arm. In 2025, the Deal Room received more than 178 entries, with nine companies advancing to an accelerator programme. Four companies, Aktivate, FriendnPal, Growwr and Sports Reels, attracted live investor interest, with participation from Future Africa, Catalyst Fund, Consonance Invest and Askya Investment Partners.
Organisers said the event has drawn more than 67,800 cumulative attendees across its first four editions. The 2025 edition alone attracted 28,683 pass-holders from more than eight countries across 61 sessions, 93 film screenings, 20 music showcases and nine fashion showcases.
EWA has also expanded internationally through EWA Creative Connect, a convening series that launched in Los Angeles during Grammy Week 2026 before continuing in London during the Nigeria-UK state visit. The series has brought together executives from Warner Records, Adobe, Amazon, Dramabox, Afrexim, Unilever, the British Film Institute and Diageo, among other organisations.
Deola Art Alade, convener of Entertainment Week Africa and group chief executive of Livespot, said the platform had shifted from convening the industry to building systems linking talent, capital and opportunity. Darey Art Alade, co-founder and chief creative officer of Livespot, said this year’s focus was on creating practical pathways into work and enterprise for young creatives.
Registration and speaker submissions for EWA 2026 are now open at ewafrica.com.