Kendrick Brothers, Mike Bamiloye, Kingdom Story Company, Speak At AICFF 2026

… Calls Christian Creatives to Reclaim Storytelling Through Excellence, Identity, and Kingdom Influence

NewsRain Nigeria reports that the maiden edition of the Africa International Christian Film Festival (AICFF) 2026 successfully concluded after four impactful days of film screenings, masterclasses, panel discussions, networking, and strategic industry conversations held from June 3–6, 2026, at Silverbird Cinemas, Central Business District, Abuja, Nigeria.

Convened under the theme “God’s Creative Army,” the festival brought together filmmakers, actors, producers, church leaders, distributors, creatives, media practitioners, and Christian storytellers from across Africa and beyond in what many participants described as a defining moment for faith-based storytelling on the continent.

The festival opened with registrations and networking sessions before transitioning into the official opening ceremony led by AICFF Convener and Festival Director, Bright Wonder Obinna Obasi, who charged Christian creatives to embrace both spiritual consecration and creative excellence in their storytelling assignments.

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One of the major highlights of the opening ceremony was a series of goodwill messages from globally respected faith-film leaders, including:

• Alex & Stephen Kendrick (The Kendrick Brothers)
• Paul Sirmons, President of the International Christian Visual Media (ICVM)
• Phillip Telpher, Founder of the Christian Worldview Film Festival (CWVFF)
• Tim Shields, President of CONTENT Media Conference
• The opening ceremony also featured powerful keynote addresses, including:
• Daddy Mike Bamiloye on “Identity & Kingdom Storytelling”
• Dr. Felix Oisamoje, Regional Director of Christian Broadcast Network (CBN), on the festival theme “God’s Creative Army.”

A keynote presentation delivered by Teniola Zara King on behalf of Kunle Falodun, Co-Founder/CEO of A House of Faith, on “The State of Faith-Based Filmmaking in Africa.”

The opening day concluded with a screening of the festival’s opening film, “Where The River Divides,” followed by a high-level panel session themed:

“The Church & Culture: Reclaiming Storytelling for the Kingdom”

Featuring:

• Rex Nwakamma
• Matrid Nwanja Nyagah
• Jennifer Keltner
• Teniola Zara King
• Bright Wonder Obasi

Days Two and Three of the festival featured a rich blend of:

• Film screenings
• Filmmaking & acting masterclasses
• Industry conversations
• Distribution and business sessions

Panel discussions included:

• “Story VS Sermon: Making Faith-Based Films That Truly Connect”
• “How Films Get Bought: Inside The Mind of Distributors”
• “Beyond Passion: The Business of Generating Revenue from Faith Films”
• “Africa To The World: Building A Global Pipeline for African Faith-Based Films”

Guest speakers and panelists included:

• Moses Babatope
• Chris Odeh
• Joshua Carpenter
• Rex Nwakamma
• Kunle Falodun
• Hakeem Kae-Kazim Condotti
• Bright Wonder Obasi

And several other notable industry voices

The final day of the festival focused strongly on collaboration, sustainability, and the future of Kingdom storytelling in Africa.

Special highlights included:

A Co-Production Mixer designed to foster partnerships and collaborations among Christian filmmakers

A dedicated session for Church Drama, Film & Media Departments, aimed at helping churches embrace excellence in storytelling ministry while encouraging inter-church collaboration.

The AICFF Pitch-A-Thon, where six selected short screenplay finalists pitched their stories before industry stakeholders

The Pitch-A-Thon winner, Tomisin Faoye, received:

A cash prize of ₦250,000

Mentorship through Gospel Cinema International.

A development opportunity through First Features Project by veteran producer/director Steve Gukas

Another major announcement during the festival was the unveiling of six finalists selected from the Africa Gospel Film Project (AGFP) to begin a mentorship track with Kingdom Story Company, makers of the movies Unsung Hero, Jesus Revolution, I Can Only Imagine 1 & 2.

Selected participants include:

• Joshua Adeyi
• Ayomide Aina
• Phillip Oyeleye
• Olayinka Ayinde
• Temidayo Ayodele
• Miracle Ebute

Throughout the festival, a central emphasis remained clear:

Christian creatives must boldly reclaim their identity while pursuing excellence as a spiritual responsibility and industry necessity.

The festival culminated in the highly anticipated AICFF Awards 2026, celebrating excellence across 12 categories.

AICFF 2026 Award Winners

• Best Short Film — In Custody
• Best Screenplay — Where The River Divides
• Best Cinematography — Where The River Divides
• Best Directing — Where The River Divides
• Best Editing — Forgiving The Nightmare
• Best Male Actor — Gadwill Odhiabo Dennis (Where The River Divides)
• Best Female Actor — Faith Ohuoba (Confidence)
• Best Music/Soundtrack — Where The River Divides
• Best Documentary — Lavender Hills
• Best Foreign Film — Forgiving The Nightmare
• Best Evangelical Film — Where The River Divides
• Overall Best Film — Where The River Divides

As the curtains closed on the historic maiden edition, attendees, partners, filmmakers, and creatives left with renewed passion and conviction that Africa’s faith-based storytelling movement is entering a transformative new era.

The Africa International Christian Film Festival now sets its sights on an even bigger and more impactful edition in 2027.