African Film Press founders. From L-R: Tambay Obenson (Akoroko), Jennifer Ochieng (Sinema Focus), Ikeade Oriade (What Kept Me Up). [Courtesy]
African Film Press (AFP), the alliance behind Akoroko, Sinema Focus and What Kept Me Up, has partnered with the 2026 edition of the Locarno Open Doors programme and will present the AFP Critics Prize to one selected project.
The award includes a $500 cash prize (about Sh64,700), a certificate and continued editorial coverage across AFP's media platforms.
AFP launched the prize in December 2025 at the S16 Film Festival in Lagos, where Nigerian filmmaker Dika Ofoma won the inaugural award for his short film Obi Is a Boy.
Ofoma was also part of the 2025 Open Doors Projects lineup with his feature project Kachifo (Till the Morning Comes), which secured three awards.
The 2026 edition marks the second year of Open Doors' four-year focus on 42 African countries.
The programme will run from August 5 to 10 during the Locarno Film Festival and Locarno Pro, offering filmmakers mentorship, training, networking opportunities and public screenings.
AFP is one of two new award partners this year, alongside a scholarship from EAVE and the Luxembourg Film Fund worth €4,000 (about Sh602,680) for the EAVE Marketing Workshop.
Winners will be announced on August 10. Other major prizes include the Open Doors Grant of CHF50,000 (about Sh8.2 million), the CNC Development Prize of €8,000 (about Sh1.2 million) and the ArteKino International Prize of €6,000 (about Sh904,000).
Additional awards will be presented by partners including IFFR Pro, the International Culture Center Tabakalera, the San Sebastián Film Festival, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and Sørfond.