AFRIFF 2023 Unveils Stellar Jury for African Storytelling

…They Cloned Tyrone producer, Stephen ‘Dr.’ Love to serve as jury president

The Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) has announced jury members for its 12th edition scheduled from November 5 to 11 this year in Lagos.

After receiving over 2,000 films from over 100 countries across five continents, the jury has selected over 100 films and will select the finalists for the AFRIFF Globe Awards.

The jury includes Stephen ‘Dr.’ Love, producer of one of Netflix’s most viewed movies of the year, They Cloned Tyrone, with Nigerian-British actor John Boyega in the lead, veteran US actor, Jamie Foxx (Ray, Django Unchained) and Juilliard-graduate, Teyonah Parris (Chi-Raq, Candyman).

Stephen ‘Dr.’ Love is joined by Emmy-nominated Nigerian-British writer-producer Abby Ajayi (How to Get Away with Murder, Inventing Anna); and Nigerian film producer Greg Otudayo.

Others are Zimbabwean award-winning author and winner of the 2023 African Peace Prize, Tsitsi Dangarembga; and Lebanese-French actress and director Wafa’a Céline Halawi.

Geneva Wasserman, Entertainment and technology expert and SVP of Scripted Development at Dentsu, the Japanese media juggernaut, Cuban-American film producer and Afro-Latino voices in film mentor, Ranada Shepard.

Renowned Hollywood producer and Head of Inventions Studios, Nicholas Weinstock; multi-talented film acquisition expert and Head of content at MultiChoice, Busola Tejumola; Nollywood royalty and seasoned actress Kate Henshaw, and Nigerian economist and filmmaker Desmond Elliott.

This edition will be significant after the 2022 edition, where Disney’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Amazon’s Nanny, Sundance Grand Jury Prize, opened the festival.

Paramount, Amazon, Disney, Netflix, Showmax, Mediawan, DStv, Dentsu, the African Union, Canal Plus, Afreximbank and a host of global industry stakeholders attended to offer further opportunities to sustain the growth of the African creative industry.

The international jury will award 14 Globe Awards to the most outstanding artistry and maestro in visual storytelling.