From Cannes Film to the Berlinale to Sundance and all of those major and semi-major festivals in between, these African films are the most acclaimed of 2024.
Here are the 5 Best African Films:
1. Dahomey
Mati Diop‘s Dahomey won the Golden Bear in Berlin. It was always going to top this list. The film was released theatrically in France on September 11, courtesy of Les Films du Losange and was named one of the Top 5 Documentary Films of 2024 by the National Board of Review.
In another notable achievement, the film was selected as Senegal’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. The film went on to make the shortlist in two categories: Documentary Feature Film and International Feature Film.
2. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, directed by Rungano Nyoni, made its presence at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, competing in the Un Certain Regard section, where it won the section’s Best Director award in a tie.
Following its festival debut, the film received a theatrical release in the United Kingdom and Ireland on December 6. In the United States, the film was released by storied distributor A24 on March 7, 2025.
The film was also nominated for several awards at the Best British Independent Film Awards. Its lead actress Susan Chardy won for Breakthrough Performance and Nyoni was named Best Director.
3. The Village Next to Paradise
The Village Next to Paradise, directed by Mo Harawe follows a father and son as they struggle against economic hardship and the lure of migration. It made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival on May 21 and was the first Somali film to be featured in the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival. The film was in the Un Certain Regard category, where it was in contention for the Camera d’Or award. It has since won a slew of awards, one of them quite recent in Austria.
4. The Weekend
The Weekend premiere at the Tribeca Festival in New York. The film was released to Nigerian cinemas on August 30 and went on to dominate the list of nominees at the 2024 AMAA ceremony. It left the event with several wins, including Best Film and Best Cinematography.
5. The Vagabond Queen of Lagos and Freedom Way
The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos is a 2024 film directed by The Agbajowo Collective, a group comprising Samuel Okechukwu, Temitope Ogungbamila, Bisola Akinmuyiwa, Elijah Atinkpo, Tina Edukpo, James Tayler, and Mathew Cerf. The film made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2024. Inspired by real-life events, the film is based on the destruction of Otodo-Gbame, a waterfront settlement in Lagos, which occurred in 2017.
On the other hand, Freedom Way, a Nigerian film directed by Afolabi Olalekan, was showcased at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, featuring in the Discovery section on September 7. The film follows a number of characters whose lives intersect one tragic night. Both films are yet to be seen by the Nigerian public.
