Three Nigerian Projects Win at Durban FilmMart 2026, Led by The Boy Who Spoke Static and Its R100,000 Grant

Three Nigerian projects won awards at the 17th Durban FilmMart, with The Boy Who Spoke Static from Agbajowo Collective taking the biggest share: the National Film and Video Foundation's Best Fiction Award with a R100,000 grant, a $5,000 Red Sea Film Fund award and the Sørfond Award, as the full list of winners shows. The market ran from 9th to 12th October in Durban and presented 39 awards from 30 partners worth more than R2 million.

The Boy Who Spoke Static Wins Three Awards

Agbajowo Collective, the team behind The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos, picked up three awards for its fiction project, as What Kept Me Up detailed. The collective's listed team includes Temitope Ogungbamila, Samuel Okechukwu, Mat Cerf as lead producer, and Bisola Akinmuyiwa.

• The NFVF Best Fiction Award, a R100,000 grant.

• The Red Sea Film Fund Award for fiction, worth $5,000 and shared with Heirs of No Regret from Kenya.

• The Sørfond Award, shared with Where Do I Belong? from Sudan. It covers flights, accommodation and accreditation for the Sørfond Pitching Forum, plus a pitch course.

The three Nigerian projects that won awards at the 17th Durban FilmMart

Pülö: Bloodstream of the Kirike Takes an Impact Award

Christina Ifubaraboye, who produces and directs the documentary Pülö: Bloodstream of the Kirike, won the Sunshine Cinema UCT Impact Development Award, shared with On the Sea Road from Palestine. It includes a bursary for the University of Cape Town's 2027 Sunshine Cinema Film Impact Online Course, valued at R18,000, and a R7,500 grant toward the film's first impact screening. Winners also have the option to join Sunshine Cinema's distribution catalogue.

Cause, Effect & Maybe Consequences? Goes to El Gouna

Cheyi Okoaye's fiction series project Cause, Effect & Maybe Consequences? won the El Gouna Emerge Award, shared with The Birth of Derna from Libya. The prize covers shared accommodation, ground transport and accreditation for the 2026 El Gouna Film Festival. The project entered through Talents Durban and is based on Okoaye's sci-fi comedy short of the same name, about a man who meets versions of himself across time.

What the Awards Mean

Beyond the grants, much of what the winners gain is access: a pitching forum place, festival accreditation and an impact course. DFM director Magdalene Reddy said each prize "opens a door for these filmmakers" and described the quality of projects as "exceptional", as Sinema Focus quoted her.

The market drew 1,131 film professionals and delegates from 56 countries. The Ones With the Tempered Flowers, a Tanzania and Kenya co-production, won five awards, the most of any project.

Grants and festival prizes are one route to funding a film. For filmmakers thinking about income beyond awards, PINCHED has looked at what film work can be sold after a shoot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Nigerian Projects Won at Durban FilmMart 2026?

The Boy Who Spoke Static by Agbajowo Collective, Pülö: Bloodstream of the Kirike by Christina Ifubaraboye, and Cause, Effect & Maybe Consequences? by Cheyi Okoaye.

How Much Did The Boy Who Spoke Static Win?

It won a R100,000 NFVF Best Fiction grant and a $5,000 Red Sea Film Fund award, plus the Sørfond Award, which covers a pitching forum place and a pitch course.

When Was Durban FilmMart 2026?

The 17th edition ran from 9th to 12th October 2026 in Durban, South Africa.