Lagos Fringe Opens on 3rd November With a Film Showcase Built for Emerging Filmmakers

A short film is how most Nigerian directors start, and it is also where most of them stall. The camera is borrowed, the cast works for free, the film plays to friends, and then there is nowhere obvious to send it next. Lagos Fringe is built to fill that gap, and its film programme this year is larger and more practical than most.

The ninth Lagos Fringe, curated by PawStudios and calling itself Africa's largest creative marketplace, runs from 3rd to 8th November 2026 under the theme "Let's Play". Film screenings run from 4th to 8th November, and the programme closes with an awards night for selected films and filmmakers.

The Films

The Film Showcase is mostly Nigerian short films by emerging filmmakers, with more than 20 titles on the programme. A few come from outside Nigeria: Belu Belu from the United Kingdom, Bond of Tera from Uganda and The Nights Were Velvet from South Africa.

That mix matters for a newcomer. A Lagos film sitting beside a Ugandan one and a South African one is being judged as a film, not as a favour to a friend, and that is the feedback a first-time director rarely gets.

The Rooms Behind the Screen

The part of the programme that may be worth more than any screening is the Creative Enterprise Programme, a set of masterclasses and sessions for people who make things and need to earn from them.

Story Is Everything is facilitated by Biodun Stephen, and a directing session brings together Dr Lekan Balogun, Zabesutu Rondo Mpiti-Spies and Dion Theo Van Niekerk to talk about the director and the actors' perspectives. Other sessions cover pitching and packaging for television, financing models, storytelling, directing, and monetising YouTube and social media.

For a filmmaker whose last three films cost their own savings, the financing and monetisation sessions are the point. a room that talks about both honestly is hard to find.

Who Runs It

The festival director is Kenneth Uphopho, who is also the managing partner of Pawstudios Africa. The festival's partners include the British Council, the J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Freedom Park, Women in the Arts and Temple Productions.

Lagos Fringe also runs far beyond film, with theatre, music, visual arts, fashion, a festival market and a founders conversation. A filmmaker who comes for the screenings can meet a costume designer, a musician or a producer in the same afternoon.

How to Make the Most of It

Go on the days your film or your genre is on, but plan the masterclasses first, because that is where the practical answers are. Bring a one-page summary of the next project, not only the last one, so that any conversation can turn into a next step.

Do the dull thing as well: write down the name of every person you speak to and what they said they would send you. Festivals only pay off for filmmakers who follow up the week after.

The festival's pass page lists free, regular, executive, circle and circle patron options, plus a sponsor-a-guest option, and individual performances can be booked through the festival's tickets site.

Where This Sits in Nigerian Film

PINCHED has spoken with filmmakers on both sides of the camera. Prosper Light described building OGWA Studios without investors, and location sound recordist Olamilekan Lasisi Murphy talked about the craft and the credit that Nollywood crews rarely get. Both started small, and both would recognise the kind of room Lagos Fringe is trying to build.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Is Lagos Fringe 2026?

The ninth Lagos Fringe runs from 3rd to 8th November 2026 in Lagos. Film screenings run from 4th to 8th November.

What Is the Theme of Lagos Fringe 2026?

The theme is "Let's Play", which focuses on experimentation, improvisation and participation.

Which Films Are Showing?

The Film Showcase is mostly Nigerian short films by emerging filmmakers, with titles from the UK, Uganda and South Africa, including Belu Belu, Bond of Tera and The Nights Were Velvet.

Are There Masterclasses for Filmmakers?

Yes. The Creative Enterprise Programme includes Story Is Everything with Biodun Stephen and a directing session with Dr Lekan Balogun, Zabesutu Rondo Mpiti-Spies and Dion Theo Van Niekerk, plus sessions on financing, pitching and monetising YouTube.