UNICEF has launched the first-of-its-kind Children’s Film Festival in Ghana, using film to spotlight children’s rights and give young people a stronger voice in telling their own stories.

The initiative has attracted more than 300 submissions, from which 10 young filmmakers and animators have been selected to develop short films centred on children’s rights and the experiences of children in Ghana.

The selected creatives will receive mentorship and support as they transform their ideas into films ahead of the festival later this year.

Why film?

For UNICEF Ghana, the idea is straightforward: use a medium children already connect with to start conversations about their rights, their experiences and the challenges they face.

Film, the organisation believes, can entertain while also educating and shaping how audiences see issues affecting children.

And this time, children are not being treated simply as viewers.

Their experiences are at the centre of the stories being developed. The initiative is therefore designed to give young filmmakers the platform to tell stories that reflect children's realities while encouraging wider conversations around children's rights.

The challenges facing Ghanaian children

The festival comes as significant challenges continue to affect children across the country.

UNICEF data show that about 23% of infants — more than 170,000 children — were not registered within their first year of life in 2024.

Education remains another major concern. About 45% of learners performed below basic proficiency in Mathematics, while the figure for English was just over 50%, according to UNICEF data.

For UNICEF, these challenges underline the need for new and creative ways of reaching children and communities with information about their rights and opportunities.

10 young creatives get the spotlight

The 10 selected filmmakers and animators will now develop their projects with mentorship and support.

Their films will explore children's rights and experiences, creating an opportunity for young creatives to use storytelling to address issues that matter to their generation.

UNICEF Ghana's Chief of Advocacy and Communications, Fatma Mohammed Naib, is expected to speak on why film has been chosen as a vehicle for children's rights advocacy.

The initiative also seeks to ensure that children are not only represented in stories but are part of a broader conversation about the issues shaping their lives.

National Film Authority backs festival

The 2026 Children's Film Festival is being organised by UNICEF Ghana in collaboration with the National Film Authority (NFA).

The NFA has pledged its support for the initiative, with the collaboration expected to strengthen the connection between children's advocacy and Ghana's creative industry.

For the NFA, supporting films created with and for children represents an investment in both the country's creative sector and its next generation.

More than just entertainment

The festival is ultimately seeking to demonstrate that film can do more than entertain.

It can educate. It can inspire. And it can give children a platform to tell their stories and be heard.

With 10 young filmmakers now turning children's experiences into films, UNICEF Ghana hopes the initiative will open a new chapter in how children's rights are discussed and represented through Ghanaian storytelling.

Children are often called the future. But through stories told with them and for them, they can also have a stronger voice in shaping that future.