Keith Shiri on Curating Connection: Inside Film Africa 2025’s Bold New Vision

October 25, 2025

By Adonis Byemelwa

Few figures have shaped the global narrative of African cinema quite like Keith Shiri. With his instinct for storytelling that bridges continents and generations, Shiri continues to champion voices that challenge, inspire, and reimagine what African film can be. As the Lead Curator of Film Africa 2025, he stands at the heart of a movement that celebrates both the legacy and the evolution of African storytelling.

It’s a festival that pulses with life, where tradition meets experimentation, and where the screen becomes a space of dialogue, identity, and imagination. Somewhere between the creative bustle of London and the cinematic rhythms of the continent, Pan African Visions.

Bureau Chief in Tanzania caught up with Shiri for a candid conversation about vision, purpose, and the art of curation.

What follows is a deeply personal reflection on the thinking behind this year’s festival, one that reminds us that cinema is not just about what we see, but how we connect, remember, and dream together.

As the lead curator, you’re the architect of the festival’s voice. What was your guiding vision in putting together this year’s program ?

This year’s programme is about reimagining Africa’s cinematic landscape through a lens of connection, between histories, geographies, and generations. We wanted to showcase how filmmakers are confronting urgent questions around ecology, migration, and identity with both aesthetic daring and cultural rootedness. It’s about positioning African cinema not on the periphery, but at the centre of a global conversation on art and humanity.

The DRC Spotlight feels both timely and bold. What kind of creativity is coming out of Congolese cinema right now that you felt the world needed to see ?

Congolese cinema is experiencing a thrilling transformation; it’s politically conscious, visually experimental, and deeply personal. Filmmakers like Sammy Baloji and others are blending documentary, performance, and installation to reinterpret the DRC’s layered histories. What’s happening now is a reclamation. Congolese artists are telling their own stories, reframing the gaze, and redefining how the world perceives them.

Souleymane Cissé redefined African cinema for generations. How did you approach curating a tribute that captures both his artistic genius and his continuing influence ?

Cissé’s cinema reminds us that African storytelling can be mythic yet modern, deeply philosophical yet profoundly human. Our tribute sought to honour his artistic mastery while spotlighting younger filmmakers who embody his spirit, those who see film as a tool for introspection and liberation. It’s a celebration not just of Cissé’s legacy, but of how his ideas continue to ripple through new voices across the continent.

Film Africa balances legends like Kunle Afolayan with emerging filmmakers. How do you strike that balance between honoring the past and embracing new directions ?

For me, it’s never about choosing between tradition and innovation — it’s about the dialogue between them. The festival thrives on those intergenerational exchanges. Established auteurs ground us in the craft, discipline, and lineage of African cinema, while emerging voices challenge form and expectation. When these worlds meet onscreen, something electric happens. The conversation becomes both a reflection of our heritage and a vision of where we’re heading.

African films are increasingly finding space on Netflix and other global platforms. From your vantage point, how is this changing the way African stories are told and received ?

Streaming platforms have undeniably amplified visibility, but they also reshape creative expectations. It’s encouraging to see African films reaching vast audiences, yet the real challenge lies in preserving creative autonomy. Progress isn’t just about access, it’s about control. African filmmakers must set their own narrative terms, not adapt to algorithms. The goal is to define our cinematic language, not dilute it for global consumption.

London has become a vital meeting point for African culture and the world. How does the city itself shape the identity and impact of Film Africa?

London is a city of crossings, a place where cultures collide and converge. That energy defines Film Africa. The city’s diasporic heartbeat allows African stories to echo across generations and continents. Here, the festival becomes more than a showcase; it’s a bridge. London’s diversity gives Film Africa the power to connect, to amplify, and to foster dialogue between Africa and its global communities most naturally and dynamically.

Presenting African cinema to global audiences can be both challenging and rewarding. What have been some of your biggest curatorial surprises or lessons in that journey?

One lesson that continues to resonate is that audiences crave authenticity and complexity. The more specific a story feels, the more universally it connects. Films we once worried might be “too local” often spark the deepest emotional engagement. The real surprise has been discovering just how powerfully African cinema speaks when it refuses to simplify or translate itself. The truth of our stories, told unapologetically, is what ultimately transcends borders.