African film festivals have expanded significantly in recent decades, creating spaces where cinema can preserve cultural heritage while encouraging dialogue across communities and borders. In Africa, established events such as Tunisia’s Carthage Film Festival, Burkina Faso’s Fespaco, Egypt’s Cairo International Film Festival, and South Africa’s Durban International Film Festival have been joined by newer festivals in Zanzibar, Marrakech, and Nigeria. The movement has also spread internationally, with events such as Montreal’s Vues d’Afrique and the New York Forum of Amazigh Film connecting diaspora communities with African cultures. One case study traced a Kenyan comedy film screened at three festivals across Brazil and Canada, showing how the same story sparked different audience reactions shaped by local history and identity. Ultimately, these festivals help keep African histories, perspectives, and creative traditions alive by encouraging cultural exchange and intergenerational transmission.