REGINA, Sask. — The African International Film Festival – Saskatchewan is back for a second year, expanding its lineup to 29 films while bringing African and international stories to Regina audiences.
The festival began Sept. 23.
AIFF-S co-founder Babatunde Onikoyi said he and his wife, Julianah, decided to launch the festival after recognizing a gap in Saskatchewan’s film scene.
"We decided that we were going to do it because we noticed that there was a lack of an African Film Festival in Saskatchewan … Our mission is to ensure that we bring films from the continent of Africa that most people here haven't seen — year in, year out," says Onikoyi.
Compared with last year, AIFF-S is expanding from 19 films to 29. Several of the selections, Onikoyi said, are international films from Iran, England, France and Australia.
"It's not just about what we Africans have to offer, but it is also having this gesture to ensure that we are able to accommodate some films other than African," says Onikoyi.
Onikoyi hopes AIFF-S will continue in the years to come, but he said running a film festival is not easy and requires funding.
"We've been sustaining it on our own, and of course with the generosity of SK Arts this year, giving us a very substantial amount," says Onikoyi.
The festival will conclude on the morning of Sept. 26 with four Canadian-made short films.
"This has only been made possible by the fact that we have a film festival in Saskatchewan," says Onikoyi.
The festival is being held at La Cité at the University of Regina and is free to attend.
The full screening schedule and additional festival details are available through the African International Film Festival Saskatchewan’s official social media channels.
