African Pictures International and Black Film Wire Join Africa Fest Barbados 2026 as Official Film and Media Partners
Updated: 46 minutes ago
API and Black Film Wire join The Diasporadical Initiative's Africa Fest Barbados 2026, bringing Cameroon's Oscar-submitted film Half Heaven , plus a celebrity-studded live Q&A to Barbados this October.
African Pictures International and Black Film Wire Join Africa Fest Barbados 2026 as Official Film and Media Partners
Cameroon's Oscar submission Half Heaven headlines Friday screening, with director, producer, and actor confirmed for live Q&A
BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS, September 11, 2026 - Africa Fest Barbados 2026 today announced African Pictures International (API) as its Official Film Partner and Black Film Wire (BFW) as its Official Media Partner, expanding this year's festival to include a curated film program alongside its music, food, fashion, and cultural programming.
As Film Partner, API will curate the films showcased to Barbadian audiences at Barbados National Trust Headquarters, Wildey House Gardens, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM AST on Saturday, October 31, and one feature film screening the evening prior, Friday, October 30, at the Barbados Museum & Historical Society.
"We're super elated to be partnering with The Diasporadical Initiative on Africa Fest. There's so much work still to be done across the diaspora, and the only way through it is one sector at a time. Ours is the creative sector - so let's roll up our sleeves and get to work," said Sahndra Fon Dufe, Founder of African Pictures International and Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Black Film Wire.
Friday's Screening: Half Heaven
Friday's program features Half Heaven (2h 7min), Cameroon's official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards. Set in Limbe, the film follows a self-righteous preacher sent into a violent, gang-controlled community to prove his eligibility for ordination - aided, unexpectedly, by a prostitute he's sent to save - against the real backdrop of Cameroon's ongoing Anglophone Crisis.
“Since our inaugural Africa Day in 2025, we have wanted film highlighted as part of the experience as it amplifies our connection through storytelling. We’re excited to partner with African Pictures International and Black Film Wire for Africa Fest 2026 to curate this film experience, which strengthens our event, as well as the Africa-Caribbean connection. Film is one of the strongest ways to connect with diverse audiences, and intentionally developing these types of partnerships is how we create something that really resonates.," said Prince Bazawule, Founder of The Diasporadical Initiative.
"Coming to Barbados for GUBA last year made something clear to me: the diaspora doesn't stop at the Atlantic's edge in one direction - it includes the Caribbean just as much as it includes Europe and the Americas. The more we build real collaboration across Africa, the Caribbean, and the wider diaspora, the stronger all of us become. One of the things I care most about is making sure Central Africa - Cameroon included - is part of these conversations. So much of what travels internationally is West African film, television, and music. If I'm in the room, Cameroon and the rest of Central Africa come with me. That's not a small thing to me - it's an honor," Fon Dufe added.
Confirmed for a Live Q&A
Following the screening, members of the film's cast and crew will be present for a live Q&A.
Half Heaven is directed by Enah Johnscott, whose earlier film The Fisherman's Diary (2020) was also Cameroon's official Academy Awards submission at the 93rd Academy Awards, and produced by Carista Asonganyi, a 2026 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) nominee for Best International Feature, one of the industry's most prestigious platforms for Black cinema, the film also screened at the Silicon Valley African Film Festival and was a Best Feature Narrative finalist at the ORION International Film Festival. Half Heaven stars Syndy Emade in the lead role, alongside Chidi Mokeme, the Nollywood actor known for To Kill a Monkey (2025), Shanty Town (2023), Tòkunbò (2024), and '76 (2016), with Roland Seehoffer, Malvis Ann Mohvu, and Mbeng Lilian rounding out the Cameroonian cast.
Saturday: Continuous Children's Programming
Saturday's program at BNT Headquarters will feature continuous family-friendly film content throughout the day, with titles to be announced. API will also host a vendor table featuring copies of Yefon: The Red Necklace, the bestselling novel by API founder Sahndra Fon Dufe.
API will collaborate with Nigerian filmmaker Regina Udalor to curate Saturday's children's slate, drawing on her work with the Bragi Film Festival, the youth-focused film festival she co-founded in Drammen, Norway.
Africa Day Barbados, past festivities | Photo: Metallic Graphics Media for The Diasporadical Initiative
Africa Fest Barbados 2026 takes place Friday, October 30, to Sunday, November 1, 2026, under the theme "Celebrating our Queens & Kings," marking the festival's second edition and its first-time partnership with the Barbados National Trust, timed to the season of Barbados' 60th anniversary of independence. Further details, programming, and tickets: https://getinn.to/africafest
About The Diasporadical Initiative The Diasporadical Initiative is a nonprofit organization based in Barbados, dedicated to educating and empowering the youth in order to close the gap between the Caribbean and Africa.
About African Pictures International African Pictures International (API) is an infrastructure-first creative economy company building production, talent, and industry infrastructure for African and diaspora storytelling.
About Black Film Wire Black Film Wire is a trade publication dedicated to African and Black diasporic cinema, covering film criticism, festival reporting, industry news, and entertainment.
African Pictures International & Black Film Wire Media Contact Adesewa Ojo Lead Outreach & Media, Black Film Wireinfo@blackfilmwire.com · www.blackfilmwire.com
Media Contact
Deidre Brathwaite
Marketing and Communications Lead
The Diasporadical Initiative
+12462840206
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