A Zambian filmmaker and producer says screening Zambian films at the Bayelsa International Film Festival places Zambian cinema in direct conversation with Nollywood. This comes after the award-winning Zambian short film, Nina’s Closure, was officially selected for the festival, which will run from November 11 to 14, 2026, in Nigeria. Speaking in an interview with […]

A Zambian filmmaker and producer says screening Zambian films at the Bayelsa International Film Festival places Zambian cinema in direct conversation with Nollywood.

This comes after the award-winning Zambian short film, Nina’s Closure, was officially selected for the festival, which will run from November 11 to 14, 2026, in Nigeria.

Speaking in an interview with Lusaka Star, co-producer of Nina’s Closure, Wilkins Sikazwe, said this will shift Zambian films from being local stories to African stories.

“It gives us what we cannot get from YouTube or local television, which is a new audience, new critics, new distributors and new collaborators,” Sikazwe said.

He added that screenings market Zambia as a source of quality stories and open doors for co-productions and international film circulation.

“We learn how they market and distribute at a large scale, and they learn how we tell our authentic stories,” Sikazwe said.

Meanwhile, National Arts Council of Zambia Director, Maanka Chipindi, said screening at the Bayelsa International Film Festival serves as an opportunity to showcase the best of the country.

Chipindi pointed out that this will create a sense of understanding of Zambia’s culture, language and its people.

He further urged for more collaborations between Zambia and Nigeria that will help push for original Zambian storytelling.