The New York African Film Festival is back for its 33rd edition, bringing over 100 films from Africa and its diaspora to screens across New York in May—and this year’s lineup is turning heads. The opening film, Promised Sky, stars Aïssa Maïga and explores the lives of three Ivorian migrants in Tunisia. Perhaps the most anticipated screening, however, is The Eyes of Ghana, a 2025 documentary backed by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company. The film features long-lost footage of Ghana’s founding leader, Kwame Nkrumah, previously believed destroyed. The festival arrives at a moment of surging global appetite for African storytelling, offering a platform for both debut directors and established cinematic voices, including Idris Elba and Congolese icon Fally Ipupa, to reach international audiences.
Semafor
