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Theme in 2026: Narrative Sovereignty. Creator Power. Global Alliances.

AfroCannes: The ultimate diversity and inclusion event during the Cannes Film Festival 15 - 19 May 2026

AfroCannes 2026
Golden Glitter Swirl

About

Launched in 2022, AfroCannes is an event organized by Yanibes Foundation during the Cannes Film Festival in May in Cannes, France. 

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AfroCannes is a four-day event featuring panel discussions, country highlights, presentations, screenings, cocktails and tributes.

 

AfroCannes aims at promoting diversity, inclusion in film across the industry.

 

AfroCannes connects creatives, businesses and stakeholders from the entire film ecosystem at the world premiere film gathering; The Cannes Film Festival. 

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Themes in 2026: Narrative and Cultural Sovereignty 

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Access: Free and by registration only.

 

You will need to show your registration confirmation at the entrance. No need for Market or Festival Badges 

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Date: May 15 - 19, 2026 

Timing: from 9.00 AM to 6.00 PM 

Networking activities: 5 cocktail reception, 1 afterparty 

Location: Villa Pompadour, Cannes 

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What's New 

Festival Programmers @ AfroCannes 2026 

  1. Heidi Zwicker, Programmer, Sundance Film Festival, USA

  2. Azize Tan, Film Festival Director & Programmer, Istanbul Foundation for Culture & Arts, Istanbul Film Festival, Turkiye 

  3. Salym Fayad, Director, MUICA African Film Festival, Colombia  

  4. Faridah Gbadamosi, Senior Film Programmer & Curator, Tribeca Film Festival, USA  

  5. Mimi Plauché, Director, Chicago International Film Festival, USA 

  6. Robyn Citizen, Programmer, TIFF (Toronto International  Film Festival), Canada

Masterclasses

Tera Carissa Hodge Masterclass @ AfroCannes 2026 

Authenticity in Cross-Cultural Collaborations: Building Meaningful Global Films Without Losing Cultural Truth

As international film collaborations accelerate across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, creators are increasingly faced with a critical question: how do we collaborate globally without diluting cultural specificity? This masterclass examines the creative, ethical, and practical dimensions of cross-cultural filmmaking, focusing on how to preserve authenticity while building commercially viable international projects. Led through real-world case studies and industry insights, the session unpacks how filmmakers, producers, and writers can navigate cultural nuance, avoid tokenism, and ensure that collaboration becomes a space of mutual respect rather than creative extraction. It also explores how authentic storytelling can strengthen—not limit—global market appeal when handled with intention and precision.

Date: May 16, 2026 

Time:  4.30 PM 

RSVP (from May 1, 2026) 

2026 - Moderators 

Speakers

 2026 Speakers 

Speakers

Actors  

  1. Jimmy Jean-Louis, Actor, Author, Haiti

  2. Tella Kpomahou, Filmmaker, Actress, Director, Guinea Conakry

  3. Welket Bungué, Actor, Director, Guinea-Bissau + Portugal + Germany

  4. Maria Gal, Actress, Producer, TV Host, Brazil 

  5. Tarina Patel, Producer, Actor, South Africa 

  6. Fatlume Bunjaku, Actress, Talent of 2026, Kosovo+Albania

  7. Rayan Hamda, Actor, France + Algeria

  8. Vanessa Montserrat Wittenbeck, Actress, Germany 

  9. Juliet Ibrahim, Actress, Producer, Ghana

Directors 

  1. Yoshimi Joya, Film Director, Japan 

  2. Shun Seki, Film Director, Japan 

  3. Soji Arai, Film Producer, Japan 

  4. Sachiko Miyase, Film Director, Japan   

  5. Anouar Moatassim, Filmmaker, Director, Founder, Cabablanca Pictures, Morocco

  6. Mandlakiyase Dube, Award Winning Director, Producer, Screenwriter, South Africa 

  7. Jane Spencer, Director, Playwright, Producer, USA 

  8. Sara Suliman, Filmmaker, Scholar, Producer, Director, UK + Sudan 

  9. Ibrahim “Snoppy” Ahmad, Director, Producer, Founder, Deep Visions, Sudan + Kenya

  10. Ogo Okpué, Director, Writer, Graphic Designer, UK + Nigeria

  11. Jean-Marie Teno, Filmmaker, Director, Cameroon

Casting Directors 

  1. Cassandra Han, Casting Director, Founder, Cassandra Han Casting, President, Casting Society, USA + China + Germany 

  2. Luci Lenox, Academy Member, Casting Director, Co-Founder, The Actors’ Home, Ireland + Spain

  3. Rhavynn Drummer, Casting Director, Owner of RAD Media Studios, USA

Marketing & Branding

  1. Octavia Warren, Founder & CEO, Chroma Creators, USA

  2. Alechia Reese, Vice-President, Chroma Creators, USA

  3. Darwin Garcia, Founder, Winners Circle Group, USA + Honduras

Training & Education

  1. Ene Katrine Rasmussen,  Head of Industry & Continuing Education, National Film School of Denmark; Project Manager, MAIEFP,  Former Head, Creative Europe MEDIA Desk Denmark, EAVE Graduate, Denmark

Producers

  1. Patricia Bebia Mawa, Multi-Award Winning Media Personality, President, Diamond Plus Media; Film Director & Producer; EVP, Afroglobal, Canada + Nigeria 

  2. Shaka Henry, Founder, Rep Dat TV, UK

  3. Tera Carissa Hodges, Entrepreneur, Producer, Storyteller, USA  

  4. Giresse Kassongo, Producer, Founder, Kongo Konnect, DR Congo

  5. Uche Okocha, Managing Director, Trino Pictures, Nigeria

  6. Neerja Narayanan, Filmmaker, Studio Executive, USA + India

Writers

  1. Kalungi Ssebandeke, Writer, Actor, Rapper, UK + Uganda 

  2. Captain Beth Powell, Pilot, American Airlines, Producer, Screenwriter, USA + Jamaica

Financing

  1. Nathan Abadadzie, Investment Director, Media Finance Capital, Ghana + UK  

  2. Steven Adams, Co-Founder, Alta Global Media, USA  

  3. Erik Gordon, VP Corporate Partners, FilmHedge, USA 

  4. Fela Oke, CEO, Hyphen8, UK + Nigeria 

  5. Mimo Kabbara, Founder, Major Events Media, Proplamar, France + Canada + Lebanon

  6. Karl Hillbrick, Film Marketing Specialist, Financier, Founder, InFilmPact, Germany + EU

  7. Maurice Fadida, Film Producer & Financier, Founder, Kodak Pictures, USA 

  8. Taylor Willams, Venture Capitalist, Cleveland Avenue, USA

  9. Sydney Masina, Partner, Head of Business Affairs, PambiliMedia, South Africa

Music 

  1. Juan Atkins, Renown Record Producer & DJ, Originator of Techno Music Genre, USA

  2. Clémentine Koumenda, Music Supervisor, France

Industry Guilds  

  1. Oma Areh, Founder, Digital Creator Africa, Vice-President, WIFT Africa, Nigeria

  2. Cecilia W’Emedi, Senior Project Manager, International Programs, WIF (Women in Film, LA), USA + Kenya

  3. Marjorie Galas, Senior Director, Members & Education, AFCI (Association of Film Commissioners), USA

Producers 

  1. Tomomi Furuyama, Producer, Japan 

  2. Petri Kemppinen, Executive producer and Audiovisual Strategist, CEO, Good Hand Production, former CEO of Nordisk Film & TV Fund,  and of Aurora Studios, Finland

  3. Sten-Kristian Saluveer, Academy Award Nominated Producer & Strategist at the Intersection of Storytelling, Technology, and Innovation Ecosystems; Strategic Advisor, Cannes Next, Director, MAIEFP, Estonia 

  4. Paul Russell, Producer, Director, Founder, Millstreams Films & Media, UK + Italy  

  5. Andrea Vogt, Journalist, Co-Founder, Head of Productions, Millstream Films & Media, UK +  Italy 

  6. Arthur Cohen, Documentary Film Producer, USA 

  7. Luke Wilms, Award-Winning Writer, Director and Producer, Founder, Mbuntu Media, Canada 

  8. Jo Southwell, TV & Film Director, UK 

  9. Francis Nébot, Producer, Founder, iFind Pictures, France 

Visual Artists 

  1. Natasha Ayoo, Visual Director, Kenya

  2. Violeta Sofia, Award Winning Photographer, Visual Artist, UK + Cameroon + Equatorial Guinea

Festival Programmers

  1. Heidi Zwicker, Programmer, Sundance Film Festival, USA

  2. Azize Tan, Film Festival Director & Programmer, Istanbul Foundation for Culture & Arts, Istanbul Film Festival, Turkiye 

  3. Salym Fayad, Director, MUICA African Film Festival, Colombia  

  4. Faridah Gbadamosi, Senior Film Programmer & Curator, Tribeca Film Festival, USA  

  5. Mimi Plauché, Director, Chicago International Film Festival, USA 

  6. Robyn Citizen, Programmer, TIFF (Toronto International  Film Festival), Canada

Government & NGO

  1. Kangwa Chileshe, Permanent Secretary – Youth & Sport, Ministry of Youth, Sport & Arts, Zambia

  2. Enrico Chiasi, Head of the Cinema Department, OIF (La Francophonie), France

  3. Kagisho Bapela, Head of Strategic Business Unit, IDC (Industrial Development Corporation), South Africa

Distribution

  1. Moses Babatope, Group CEO, The Nile Media Entertainment Group, Nigeria | TBC

Producers

  1. Darryll C. Scott, Film & TV  Producer, Founder, Evergreen Valley Productions, a subsidiary of Cedar Park Entertainment, USA 

  2. Jihan Al Tejani, Filmmaker, Visual Artist, Documentarian, Egypt + France 

  3. Myriam Saghy, Emerging Producer, Morocco

  4. Effie T. Brown, Film & TV Producer, Digital Creator, CEO, GameChanger, USA 

  5. Pape Boye, CEO, Black MicMac, France + Senegal 

  6. Mark Engels, Producer, Director, Founder, IMPI Films, South Africa 

  7. Albert Mensah, Founder, Fortune Favours Productions, UK + Ghana

  8. Simone Pennant (MBE), Founder, Director, The TV Collective, UK + Jamaica 

  9. Toby Kyeremantang, Award Winning Producer, UK + Ghana    

  10. Christopher Simon, Actor, Producer, Australia 

  11. Daniela Scalia, CEO, Blullow, Journalist, Producer, Italy

Partners

Media Partners 

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Film Destination Partners 

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Industry Partners

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Collaborative Partners 

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Venue

Villa Pompadour 
95, avenue du Petit Jouas 
06400, Cannes 
France 

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Founder & Organizer

Prudence Kolong

Prudence Kolong, the founder of Yanibes and organizer of AfroCannes, AfroBerlin and of Yanibes Consulting, Yanibes Productions and Yanibes Foundation, is a French business consultant and producer based in Sweden and France. 

AfroCannes 2026

The Cultural Sovereignty Edition 

AfroCannes 2026 centers the right of creators to tell their own stories — on their own terms, with their own tools, and for global audiences.

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In an era of AI, geopolitical shifts, and creative renaissance, cultural sovereignty asserts the right to define and disseminate images, voices, and values that resonate across borders.

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This edition offers a nuanced perspective on film, funding, and frames, while building sustainable ecosystems that put creativity from African, African diaspora and various communities at the helm of the global narrative economy.

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AfroCannes 2026 will feature: 

  • Panel Discussions 

  • Masterclasses 

  • Screenings 

  • Networking Activities 

  • Business Meet-up 

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Participate

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If you're interested in: 

  • Becoming a sponsor,

  • Partnering with AfroCannes,

  • Speaking or moderating a panel,

  • Screening your movie,

  • Leading a masterclass, or

  • Hosting networking activities,

Please reach out to us at assistant@yanibes.com

 

We look forward to collaborating with you and creating memorable together.

Contact Us

Thanks for contacting us

Address

Yanibes Foundation

66, Avenue des Champs Elysées

75008, Paris - France

SIREN: 929 670 156

Email

prudence.kolong@yanibes.com

assistant@yanibes.com 

Connect

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