The Annual Film Mischief (TAFM) is returning in 2025, and this time, it’s offering more than a film festival, it’s curating an experience. With Reclaiming Self as its theme, this year’s edition leans into the personal. It focuses on identity, healing, and the journey of embracing one’s creative truth.

Since it launched in 2022, TAFM has grown into one of Africa’s most essential spaces for indie filmmakers. It’s become a platform for bold storytelling and fresh perspectives, championing filmmakers whose voices are often left out of larger conversations. Each edition has carried its own pulse, but this year introduces a more intimate rhythm.

The 2025 festival is expanding its vision. Alongside carefully selected film screenings, it will feature wellness activities, fitness sessions, art showcases, and live performances, all built around the idea of centring the whole creative. It’s an intentional shift that acknowledges where stories come from: lived experience, emotional depth, and cultural memory.

Over the years, TAFM has built a reputation not only for its strong curation, but for its community-first mindset. It’s a space that gives room for voices still in process, for creators learning to stand firm in their craft and calling. In 2025, that mission continues, only now, with more depth, more care, and more room to breathe.

Set to hold from October 9th to 30th, TAFM will run across four cities, Lagos, Abuja, Accra, and Dar es Salaam. Each location will be led by a regional manager, allowing the festival to stay rooted in the local while moving as a united force. This approach continues TAFM’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion, giving creatives and audiences in different regions a chance to engage on their own terms.

Filmmakers are encouraged to submit work that reflects themes of self-discovery, cultural resilience, and emotional honesty. Films that push past expectations—whether political, social, or artistic—are welcome. What matters most is that the story is told with intention.

The Annual Film Mischief has always positioned itself as more than just a space to screen films. That focus remains. Workshops, networking events, and mentorship opportunities will run alongside the programming. These are not add-ons, they’re core to what TAFM offers: tools, access, and genuine connection.