LIFACC 2026 Puts African Cinema's Business Model Under the Microscope

The 3rd Lagos International Film and Cinema Convention (LIFACC 2026) took place July 16–17, 2026, at the LCCI Conference & Exhibition Centre in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos. This year's theme, "Expanding the Commercial Business of Film Production, Distribution and Theatrical Exhibition Across Africa," was aimed at confronting the most pressing challenges facing Nollywood today.

Film distribution executives and veteran producers in a group session with LIFACC Founder, Theophilus Akatugba, and the Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board, Dr Shuaib Husseini, following a panel discussion.

In his opening remarks, LIFACC Founder and CEO Theophilus Akatugba explained the vision behind the convention; "LIFACC was conceived from a simple but powerful conviction — that while Nollywood has become one of the largest film industries in the world, there was still no dedicated annual platform focused solely on the business of cinema: distribution, exhibition, technology, and investment. Our industry has many festivals and award ceremonies that rightly celebrate artistic excellence. What was missing was a convention where producers, distributors, exhibitors, regulators, technology providers, investors, financial institutions, equipment manufacturers, government agencies, and service providers could come together to discuss the business that sustains filmmaking."

Tribe Nation CEO Anita Edwards (middle) presents an award to Silverbird Cinemas during LIFACC 2026.

Akatugba's remarks set the tone for the two days that followed — not a celebration of filmmaking for its own sake, but a working session on the commercial infrastructure that determines whether African cinema can grow sustainably. Dr. Shuaibu Husseini, Director General/CEO of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), delivered the keynote address and took part in the Cinema Achievement Awards presentation. Amb. Queen Blessing Ebigieson, President of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP), also delivered a keynote at the convention's opening.

The convention's panel discussions were its centerpiece, examining the often-complex relationships between filmmakers, distributors, exhibitors, and regulators. Rather than talking past each other, stakeholders used the sessions to name longstanding friction points directly and work toward shared solutions.

Panel session at LIFACC 2026 (L-R): Moderator Osezua Stephen Imhobio (Founder of Indigenous Languages of Africa Film Festival), Gabriel Okoye (Filmmaker and Nollywood veteran), Victoria Ogar (Head of Distribution, FilmOne Entertainment), Uche Agbo (Filmmaker and President of the Directors Guild of Nigeria), Alhaji Ahmad Sarari (Filmmaker), and Anita Edwards (CEO, Tribe Nation Theatrical Distribution).

Tribe Nation CEO Anita Edwards joined other distribution executives in a panel tackling one of the industry's most contentious questions: "Promotion or Neglect: Redefining Cinema's Role in Film Marketing and Promotion in Nigeria." The panel dug into the evolving distribution landscape, surfacing practical approaches for widening access, building inclusion, and creating distribution models that generate sustainable revenue across Nollywood. Edwards also moderated another session, "Exhibition Realities in Africa — Footfalls, Content & Profitability," unpacking the operational and financial realities shaping cinema exhibition in Nigeria today.

Anita Edwards on Closing the Distribution Knowledge Gap

The exhibition panel surfaced a familiar grievance from the floor: producers who feel shut out by an ecosystem they see as biased, accusing distributors and cinemas alike of favoring certain projects over others. Edwards used the moment to push back directly on the assumption behind the complaint:

Nollywood producers are violently independent and, too often, films are made in isolation from market intelligence, and then distributors and cinemas take the blame when the numbers don't land. If we want a Nollywood that scales, that conversation has to start earlier — at the script stage, not the box office report.

Anita Edwards at LIFACC 2026

The pointed reframe: the industry's box-office anxiety, in Edwards' view, is less a distribution failure than a collaboration failure — one that gets resolved only when producers treat distributors as strategic partners from day one, not as a service to call in once a film is finished.

A Growing Platform for Africa's Film Business

A major addition to this year's convention was the launch of the competitive LIFACC Film Festival, which drew over 115 submissions from across the continent — more than 60 feature films, over 30 documentaries, and over 25 short films. By bringing every segment of the industry under one roof, LIFACC 2026 reinforced a simple truth: the future of African cinema depends on more than creative excellence. It depends on stronger collaboration, transparent business practices, smarter distribution strategy, and sustained investment across the entire value chain.

Below are some exclusive photos from the event.