All roads is bound to lead to Lagos, from November 30 through December 4, as the much talked about Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) comes to town.

The maiden edition of the yearly festival was held  last year in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital amid pomp.

Ms Chioma Udeh, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the festival, made this disclosure while addressing the press last week, in Lagos. She said the decision to move the festival to Lagos, was borne of the need to make the festival a travelling one.

CC Chioma Udeh, AFRIFF boss

This year’s festival, as she explained will be celebrated under the theme ‘Africa Unite.”  Unlike the previous  edition where fewer countries participated, over thirty countries, including Caribbean countries, America, England, and African countries are expected to be  part of this year’s festival.

“This year, we will have more participants from Caribbean countries, America, England and Senegal,’ Udeh said.

Also, as part of the goals of the festival which has to do with working with young talents, Udeh said a plan has been  hatched to select the best two kids out of the lots who will be participating in this year’s children’s workshop as they will be sponsored to South Africa for a two year courses in film making.

Speaking further on the forthcoming  festival, AFRIFF boss assured prospective participants to expect  the best from this year’s festival.

“Expect great movies that will premiere during the festival. Last year, we brought in one of Hollywood   renowned actors,  Rockmond Dunbar. He submitted his movies and he will be flying into the country to attend the festival. Also, a Senegalese film maker whose film is nominated for award will be storming the festival with twenty film makers from that country.”

There will be a lot of shows holding  at different centres.  Arik Airline is partnering us, as the company has asked us to introduce indigenous award. Also, Genesis Deluxe cinema is our partner.”

Disclosing that over 180 entries were received for this year festival out of which 63 films were shortlisted, AFRIFF boss acknowledged the fact that Lagos provides the right environment for the hosting of this kind of festival.

Narrating some of the challenges the organised faced while hosting last year’s edition in Port-Harcourt,  the festival director said it costed them over N15 billion to put the festival together last year. Though  she admitted that  the nature of the oil rich city carried  the expenses without much stress.

On why the festival was moved to Lagos, she explained further that Port-Harcourt  has no available halls, in addition to the fact that “we have fly in some of the artistes into PH, accommodate them in the five stars and as long as they stay in those hotels, we were meant to pick their bills.”

“Rivers State government never promised to host the festival regularly.  There are so many reasons we decided to host the festival in Lagos, this year. In Port-Harcourt, the hotels only gave us a discount,  compared to Lagos, where the hotels are offering us partnership.  For instance, in Oriental  hotel, Lekki, we secured a room that goes for N400,000 for less than N45,000.   Also,  Lagos provides the needful security and yields that the  visiting film makers and stars desire to make their stay worthwhile in Nigeria.

This year’s jurists comprises of six individuals who are well-grounded in the global arts community.

They are France-born Eriq Ebouaney, British playwright, Oladipupo Agboluaje and Heidi Lobato who is the chairperson of Stichting Likeminds, a theatre primarily by and for children of immigrants in Netherlands. They will adjudicate on Feature and Animation.

To adjudicate on Documentary categories is Femi Odugbemi, an award-winning producer/director and photographer who is widely respected for his creativity and professionalism. He will be joined by Mahen Bonetti, founder and Executive Director of African Film Festival, Inc. (AFF), a non-profit arts organization founded in 1990; and Mbye Cham, Ph.D. who is originally from The Gambia and is currently Chairman of the Department of African Studies at Howard University in Washington, D. C.

AFRIFF is a platform for the world to zoom in on the talent and beauty of Africa through film. Started December 2010, it will hold yearly hosting both local and international filmmakers, celebrities, actors, directors, film buyers, distributors, visual artists, film students, amateurs and film lovers.

This evening, the organisers are holding a pre-festival party in Ikoyi, Lagos.