The Black Star International Film Festival has unveiled its 2026 Official Selection, bringing films from 11 countries to Kumasi for its 11th edition.

From submissions representing 42 countries, the Black Star International Film Festival (BSIFF) has unveiled its full 2026 Official Selection, bringing films from 11 countries to Kumasi for the festival’s 11th edition.

The selected films represent Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, the United States, South Africa, Zimbabwe, China, Cameroon, Singapore, the Dominican Republic and Russia, with stories spanning narrative film, documentary, animation, student filmmaking, AI-generated film and Kumawood.

The breadth of the selection reflects the evolving landscape of cinema that BSIFF will explore under its 2026 theme, “Film & Global Culture: The New Wave of African Cinema.”

International showcase

The International Showcase features Adui, directed by Ayeni T. Steve of Uganda; Yesterday Today Forever, directed by Ty Manns and Domingo Guyton of the United States; Boy No Fear, directed by Jonathan Curtiss of Uganda; The Devil’s Diary, directed by Jeffrey U. Fidelis, representing Nigeria and South Africa; and Lights Out, directed by Enah Johnscott of Cameroon.

Ghanaian showcase

Ghana has a strong presence in this year’s selection, with the competitive Ghanaian Showcase featuring Legacy Africa, directed by Confidence Losu; Ashes of Accra, directed by Solomon Fixon-Owoo; Love Is Death (Odo Ye Wu), directed by Fofo Togbe Gavua; King of Tema, directed by Kobina De Graft-Johnson; Sesime, directed by Eunice Dake; and Home, Or Our Journey Is Still Long, directed by Joewackle J. Kusi and Anima AdjePong.

Ghanaian films and filmmakers also feature across several other sections of the programme.

Student showcase

The Student Showcase includes The City of God Beneath the River, directed by Edmund Tetteh Agorhom of Ghana; Ananse and the Divine Journey, directed by Bathschëba Duronvil of the United States; and The Weavers Thread, directed by Theodore Xoese Gbeku of Ghana.

Documentary

The Documentary selection features We Won’t Let You Poison Us, directed by Akosua-Asamoabea Ampofo of Ghana; Agridulce (Bittersweet), directed by Frank Pavich of the Dominican Republic; and Akwaaba, directed by Zi Yuan Tan of Singapore.

Africa Rising

The Africa Rising selection features Dead Tide, directed by Soji Ogunnaike of Nigeria, and Almost Forever, directed by Eric Agyeman of Ghana.

Animated films

The Animation selection features Tales of Herding Gods: Prologue, directed by Yueping Shen of China.

AI-generated films

As BSIFF explores the implications of artificial intelligence for filmmaking and African storytelling, the festival’s AI-Generated Films section features The Legend of William Boucher: The Blood Curse, directed by Kedra L. Curry of the United States.

The inclusion comes as AI & the Future of African Storytelling forms one of the four key areas of exploration at BSIFF 2026.

Kumawood

For its first edition in Kumasi, BSIFF has also created a dedicated space for the city’s distinctive filmmaking tradition.

The Kumawood selection features Suluku (The Human Totem), directed by Nicholas Kwarteng, Frank Gharbin and Francis Asamoah of Ghana.

The Kumawood section sits alongside BSIFF’s broader Ghanaian Showcase and reflects the festival’s decision to engage directly with the filmmaking culture of its 2026 host city.

Special screenings

The Special Screening programme includes Nelson Mandela: The Man Behind the Legend, directed by Alex Strizhevsky of Russia; Captain Ibrahim Traore, directed by Jackson K. Bentum of Ghana; and God Sleeps on Sunday, directed by Naishe Nyamubaya of Zimbabwe.

From 42 countries to Kumasi

The journey to the 2026 Official Selection began with submissions representing 42 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas and the Caribbean.

The final selection brings 11 of those countries to the BSIFF programme, while giving Ghana a particularly strong presence as the festival prepares to hold its first edition in Kumasi.

But the diversity of the programme extends beyond geography.

From documentary and animation to AI-generated filmmaking and Kumawood, the selection reflects a screen industry in transition, one in which new technologies, new distribution models, local languages and changing audience habits are expanding the possibilities of what cinema can be.

This wider conversation will shape BSIFF’s 11th edition through four key areas of exploration: Local Language Cinema, Building African Audiences, Mental Health for Creatives, and AI & the Future of African Storytelling.

Over the coming weeks, BSIFF will begin introducing audiences to the selected films individually, sharing their posters, filmmakers and stories as the countdown to Kumasi continues.

Under the theme “Film & Global Culture: The New Wave of African Cinema,” BSIFF 2026 will take place from 24–27 September 2026 at Golden Eagle Cinemas, Kumasi.

About BSIFF

The Black Star International Film Festival is an international film festival based in Ghana, committed to promoting the business of film, creating opportunities for independent filmmakers and bringing cinema closer to the people.

The 2026 edition marks BSIFF’s 11th year and its first edition in Kumasi.