Welcome To

11th Annual Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF)

Scroll down

Welcome to the 11th Annual Silicon Valley African Film Festival!
We invite you to a shared journey across the vast richness of the African Continent and its diaspora through the lenses of its seasoned and emerging filmmakers. While the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic means that our festival is online this year, we are excited about the quality, range of genres and diversity of voices represented in the films we have selected.

Join us as we celebrate 11 years of Connecting Communities, Cultures and Continents with a brilliant line-up of 100 films from 40 countries, all sharing the true stories, hopes and dreams of Africa and its diaspora. Over 50% of the films in the festival this year are World or North America premieres.

Aptly themed Africa through the African lens our festival program has been designed to offer unique social and artistic visions that will engage you in thought-provoking dialogue, and offer an opportunity to connect. It is an honor to offer our community an unfiltered access to the richness, diversity and vitality of Africa's creative expressions and provide a forum for cultural exchange.

Thanks to our sponsors, donors, staff, advisors, volunteers and audience without whom this festival will not be possible. Special thanks to our filmmakers for sharing their talent and enriching us with their stories.

Team SVAFF


(Festival image from: Invisibles (KaunaPawa) | Narrative Short | Director: Joel Haikali | Country: Namibia | Official selection SVAFF 2020)


Start Date

October 9, 2020, 1:00 pm

End Date

October 11, 2020, 8:00 pm

Social Pages

Films At The Festival

Filter Results

Africa in Shorts - 1

Africa in Shorts - 1

access_time Viewing Times October 9, 2020, 1:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening: 

1st Kings | Narrative Short | 15 minutes / 2020 | Director: Hilda Afrakoma | Country: Canada

28 Days | Narrative short | 10 minutes / 2019 | Director: Jahëna Louisin | Country: Togo

Le Banc Sur Le Rivage Du Lac (Lakeside Bench) | Narrative Short | 21 minutes / 2018 | Director: Ambrose B. Cooke | Country: Burkina Faso

Aesthetic | Narrative short | 10 minutes / 2019 | Director: Marique Watikins | Country: South Africa

Documentary shorts - 1

Documentary shorts - 1

access_time Viewing Times October 9, 2020, 1:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Documentaries

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

African Spartans | 14 minutes / 2020 | Director: Stephane Hamadou Ahidjo | Country: Cameroon

Breaking Forth | 18 minutes / 2020 | Director: Peter Okojie | Country: Nigeria

Conversations with Millennials | 30 minutes / 2019 | Director: Madu Dube | Country: South Africa

Africa in Shorts - 2

Africa in Shorts - 2

access_time Viewing Times October 9, 2020, 2:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

Arriaga | Narrative Short | 25 minutes / 2019 | Director: Welket Bungué | Country: Portugal

A Tune of Kora | Narrative Short | 13 minutes / 2019 | Director: Angèle Diabang | Country: Senegal

Atunmarilaka | Narrative Short | 8 minutes / 2020 | Director: Omomnjahio Olumense | Country: Nigeria

Breath | Narrative Short | 12 minutes / 2020 | Director: Emmanuel Mwape | Country: Zambia

Documentary shorts - 2

Documentary shorts - 2

access_time Viewing Times October 9, 2020, 2:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Documentaries

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

Flox | Documentary - short length | 40 minutes / 2019 | Director: Hady Mahmoud | Country: Egypt

Mundele | Documentary - short length | 10 minutes / 2019 | Director: Matamba Kombila | Country: Gabon

My Grandpa is a Troublemaker | Documentary - short length | 9 minutes / 2020 | Director: Menna Elbezawy | Country: Egypt

Musa @ Virtual Theater

Musa @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 9, 2020, 3:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Musa | Narrative Feature | 78 minutes / 2020 | Director: Musing Derick | Country: Cameroon

Kemi @ Virtual Theater

Kemi @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 9, 2020, 3:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Kemi | Narrative Feature | 86 minutes / 2020 | Director: Kizito Samuel Saviour | Country: Uganda | After losing her husband at 6 months of her pregnancy, Kemi is forced out of the family house by the husband’s relatives and starts staying at her mother’s house in the village, who passes away just a few days before her delivery, Kemi is left in a lonely world to hustle for herself and the baby’s survival which forces her to let go of the baby after realizing she could lose it through the struggle of raising it. Her motherly heart can’t just accept letting her baby away from her watch to someone else’s hands.

Africa in Shorts - 3

Africa in Shorts - 3

access_time Viewing Times October 9, 2020, 4:30 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

Esteem | Narrative Short | 25 minutes / 2019 | Director: Kizito Samuel Saviour | Country: Uganda

Excuse, Pardon My Manners! | Narrative Short | 12 minutes / 2019 | Director: Saitabao Kaiyare | Country: Germany

Extra Safe | Narrative Short | 9 minutes / 2019 | Director: Nouran Sherif | Country: Egypt

Naisula | Narrative Short | 9 minutes / 2019 | Director: Karanja Ng’endo | Country: Kenya

Documentary shorts - 3

Documentary shorts - 3

access_time Viewing Times October 9, 2020, 4:30 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Documentaries

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

Heart You deserve that! | Documentary - short length | 29 minutes / 2020 | Director: Lamia Idriss | Country: Egypt

Missions to Chogoria | Documentary - short length | 4 minutes / 2019 | Director: David Mwangi | Country: Kenya

OUD | Documentary - short length | 26 minutes / 2019 | Director: Mourad Haimer | Country: Algeria

#LANDoftheBRAVEfilm @ Virtual Theater

#LANDoftheBRAVEfilm @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 9, 2020, 7:30 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama , Thriller

Online Live Screenings

#LANDoftheBRAVEfilm | Narrative feature | 95 minutes / 2019 | Director: Tim Huebschle | Country: Namibia | During the dry Namibian winter a tough female cop investigates a series of hateful murders, only to encounter a ruthless reporter who exposes dark secrets from her past to derail the case. But the cop is determined to catch the killer, even if she has to break the law.​

When we are born @ Virtual Theater

When we are born @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 9, 2020, 7:30 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings
When we are born | Narrative Feature | 102 minutes / 2019 | Director: Tamer Ezzat | Country: Egypt | A musical drama about the things we do for the people we love. Amin works as a male prostitute to fulfill his wife's dream of an apartment. Farah, a devout Christian, struggles with her love for a Muslim man. Ahmed, a talented musician, must choose between his love for music and his father's wishes.
Ne crains rien… je t’aime @ Virtual Theater

Ne crains rien… je t’aime @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 9, 2020, 9:15 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Ne crains rien… je t’aime | Narrative Feature (French with English subtitles) | 93 minutes / 2020 | Director: Thierry Ntamack | Country: Cameroon

Wede @ Virtual Theater

Wede @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 9, 2020, 9:15 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Wede | Narrative Feature | 95 minutes / 2019 | Director: Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen | Country: Nigeria | In a time where female circumcision is a norm in the society, Edewede becomes the voice for women and the girl child.

Africa Animated - 1

Africa Animated - 1

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 10:00 am PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Animation

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

Akukujeje Kingdom | Animation | 8 minutes / 2018 | Director: Adenekan Hakeem | Country: Nigeria

A Selfie With My Great Grandparents | Animation | 3 minutes / 2020 | Director: Kudzi Synos | Country: USA

A Special Gift - a Troublemakers story | Animation | 7 minutes / 2019 | Director: Nildo Essá | Country: Mozambique

AYEW | Animation | 9 minutes / 2020 | Directors: Zenock Gyimah- Amponsah, Selase Kove Seyram | Country: Ghana

Emeka’s Money | Animation | 15 minutes / 2020 | Director: Mbuotidem Johnson | Country: Nigeria

Lonely Ballet | Animation | 3 minutes / 2019 | Director: Dina Kazem | Country: Egypt

Documentary shorts - 4

Documentary shorts - 4

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 10:00 am PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Documentaries

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

Outspoken | Documentary - short length | 30 minutes / 2019 | Director: José Cardoso | Country: South Africa

SAUTI Gifted Different Unsilenced | Documentary - short length | 26 minutes / 2019 | Director: Patrick Sapat Opips | Country: Kenya

Africa Animated - 2

Africa Animated - 2

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 11:00 am PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Animation

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

Mr. Purple | Animation | 10 minutes / 2019 | Director: Osama Abouzaid | Country: Egypt

Sankofa | Animation | 17 minutes / 2020 | Director: Abel Kouame | Country: Côte d’Ivoire

Sun and Moon | Animation | 5 minutes / 2020 | Director: Amira El Badry | Country: Egypt

The Basket Returns to Mr. Boomerang (Akebo Kajya Iwa Mugarura) | Animation | 8 minutes / 2019 | Director: Habimana Amadoullah | Country: Rwanda

The Journey of Souba | Animation | 5 minutes / 2020 | Director: Bakary Diarrassouba | Country: USA

Africa in Shorts - 4

Africa in Shorts - 4

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 11:00 am PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

Chaos | Narrative Short | 10 minutes / 2020 | Director: Chidinma Igbokweuche | Country: Nigeria

Contrast | Narrative short | 10 minutes / 2020 | Director: Brenda Ligia Miguel | Country: Brazil

Gone and never back | Narrative Short | 9 minutes / 2020 | Director: Mai Mustafa Ekhou | Country: Mauritania

Honest | Narrative Short | 9 minutes / 2020 | Director: Jonathan Samukange | Country: Zimbabwe

Hourglass memories | Narrative Short | 10 minutes / 2019 | Director: Nchafatso Mochabo | Country: Botswana

Hues and Hidden Kings | Narrative Short | 7 minutes / 2017 | Director: Sydney Morgan | Country: USA

A New Country @ Virtual Theater

A New Country @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 12:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Documentaries

Online Live Screenings
A New Country | Documentary - full length | 60 minutes / 2020 | Director: Sifiso Khanyile | Country: South Africa | 25 years after its birth as a democratic country, South Africa remains the most unequal society in the world according to the World Bank. A country once considered a symbol of global progress and human possibility has become a cynical and divided nation, where today, South Africans carry extremes views that dominate mainstream thought. With protests frequently tearing through the city streets where thousands do everything they can to make their disillusionment felt.
Africa in Shorts - 5

Africa in Shorts - 5

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 12:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

I am Looking for my Father | Narrative Short | 12 minutes / 2019 | Director: El Hadji Gueye | Country: Belgium

Inhabitants of the Nile | Narrative Short | 9 minutes / 2019 | Directors: Mohamed Kassaby, Rasha Shalaby | Country: Egypt

Invisibles (KaunaPawa) | Narrative Short | 17 minutes / 2019 | Director: Joel Haikali | Country: Namibia

Kindred | Narrative Short | 18 minutes / 2019 | Director: Janet Marrett | Country: United Kingdom

Africa in Shorts - 6

Africa in Shorts - 6

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 1:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

A Canvas for A Visa | Narrative Short | 26 minutes / 2020 | Director: Diao Samba | Country: Senegal

Left Right | Narrative Short | 20 minutes / 2018 | Director: Moutii Dridi | Country: Tunisia

Maikotlhao | Narrative Short | 5 minutes / 2018 | Directors: Kevin Sebolao, Umbambi Ndiwenyu, Gape Ndlovu | Country: Botswana

Meet Tayo | Narrative short | 5 minutes / 2020 | Director: Ifeoluwa Winner | Country: USA

Golden Fish, African Fish @ Virtual Theater

Golden Fish, African Fish @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 1:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Documentaries

Online Live Screenings

Golden Fish, African Fish | Documentary - full length | 60 minutes / 2018 | Directors: Thomas Grand, Moussa Diop | Country: Senegal | The Casamance region in the South of Senegal is one of the last area of traditional fishing in West Africa. Facing the growing menace of industrial fishing companies and overcoming very harsh working conditions, the fishermen of Casamance contribute to the food supply (ou food safety) of many African countries. But for how long?

Africa in Shorts - 7

Africa in Shorts - 7

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 2:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

MÉBÉT | Narrative short | 34 minutes / 2019 | Director: Ousman Jarju | Country: Gambia

Oil Press | Narrative Short | 11 minutes / 2020 | Director: Nora Azeroual | Country: Morocco

Omnipresent | Narrative Short | 5 minutes / 2019 | Director: Abel Mekasha | Country: Ethiopia

Silverback | Narrative short | 7 minutes / 2020 | Director: Waleed M. Al-Yamani | Country: South Africa

Order of The Dragon @ Virtual Theater

Order of The Dragon @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 2:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Order of The Dragon | Narrative Feature | 60 minutes / 2017 | Director: David O´Connor | Country: Angola | When a professional assassin has a bad day at work, her whole world is shaken and her mark proves to hide more than one enigma behind the surface.

On Canvas @ Virtual Theater

On Canvas @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 4:30 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

On Canvas | Narrative Feature | 80 minutes / 2019 | Director: Raphael Nyirenda | Country: Zambia | An artist's dream of having his paintings seen by the world gets derailed by the only woman he loves.Will he sacrifice his passion for love?

Lailah @ Virtual Theater

Lailah @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 4:30 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Lailah | Narrative Feature | 90 minutes / 2020 | Director: Richard Mulindwa | Country: Uganda | Jeff’s fate is yet to change when his habit of picking girls from clubs turns into a nightmare. One fateful day, he seduces Lailah, a student into going home with him and she unfortunately dies in his uncle’s house. The burden of a dead body dawns on him after failing to get it out of the house in many attempts.

A Taste of Our Land @ Virtual Theater

A Taste of Our Land @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 6:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

A Taste of Our Land | Narrative Feature | 84 minutes / 2020 | Director: Yuhi Amuli | Country: Rwanda | While trying to provide for his pregnant wife, YOHANI an old African man retrieves a gold nugget in a brutal Chinese run mine built on his land and runs away to sell it for $100. When he learns its real value, he becomes as obsessed with it as CHENG, the Chinese mine owner who will stop at nothing to get it back. Set in an unnamed African country, A TASTE OF OUR LAND is a film about greed told against the backdrop of the current Chinese influence in African countries.

Jewel in the Sand @ Virtual Theater

Jewel in the Sand @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 6:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Jewel in the Sand | Narrative Feature | 80 minutes / 2020 | Director: Abraham Kabwe | Country: Botswana | A teacher from the city is posted to the countryside where there is high rate of truancy. Huge challenges arise when he meets an intelligent disabled girl whose likeness for him sends him through a series of problems.

Barakat @ Virtual Theater

Barakat @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 7:30 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Barakat | Narrative feature | 98 minutes / 2019 | Director: Amy Jephta | Country: South Africa | When matriarch Aisha Davids decides to accept a marriage proposal, she devises a plan to break the news to her four sons over Eid. The only problem is that the two eldest sons have been at loggerheads since their father passed and refuse to be in the same room at the same time. Her big reveal is spoiled when the boys hear via the grapevine about their mother’s pending nuptials and come together to voice their disapproval of the match. Now it’s up to Aisha, her fiancé and her daughters in law to bring the sons around to her way of thinking using the one thing they can all agree on - the barakat.

The Other Side @ Virtual Theater

The Other Side @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 7:30 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

The Other Side | Narrative Feature | 100 minutes | Director: Jumoke Olatunde | Country: Nigeria | Chris is unhappy. His life has not turned out the way he expected. When he is granted one prayer request, he can think of nothing other than marrying his ex-girlfriend, Teni. He would live his dream, but things don't turn out the way he expected on the other side.

Three Thieves @ Virtual Theater

Three Thieves @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 9:15 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Three Thieves | Narrative Feature | 107 minutes / 2019 | Director: Udoka Oyeka | Country: Nigeria | Due to a case of mistaken identity, three dissatisfied friends are contracted to commit a seemingly simple theft. But complications arise when during the act, a young girl enters their car unawares, and their simple theft unwittingly becomes a kidnapping. Even worse, the man originally contracted for the job is on the hunt for them.

Ordinary Fellows @ Virtual Theater

Ordinary Fellows @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 10, 2020, 9:15 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Ordinary Fellows | Narrative Feature | 95 minutes / 2019 | Directors: Lorenzo Menakaya, Ikenna Aniekwe | Country: Nigeria | A Romance/Adventure/Coming of Age drama of Youth and Restlessness, set against the back-drop of Nigerian academia and African myths. An alcoholic professor going through agonizing mid-life crises, takes his students to an African themed resort for an academic excursion despite the warnings from the departments and the mystery surrounding the resort. The students on this trip are mix bag of characters from the model to the wanna be pimp, the DJ to the geek, the spoilt rich girl to the broken hearted lesbian, etc., a recipe for one unpredictable and chaotic sequence of events that brings the professor to the edge.

Africa in Shorts - 8

Africa in Shorts - 8

access_time Viewing Times October 11, 2020, 10:00 am PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

Our Good Valley | Narrative short | 28 minutes / 2019 | Director: Mostafa El Daly | Country: Egypt

Remember who you are | Narrative short | 4 minutes / 2020 | Director: Asiko | Country: United Kingdom

SEGA | Narrative Short | 24 minutes / 2018 | Director: Idil Ibrahim | Country: Senegal

Africa Animated - 3

Africa Animated - 3

access_time Viewing Times October 11, 2020, 10:00 am PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Animation

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

Souleyman | Animation | 5 minutes / 2019 | Director: Aloïs Agboglo | Country: Benin

Recycle | Animation | 5 minutes / 2019 | Director: Mohamed Said Badr | Country: Egypt

The Symbolic of Loot | Animation | 5 minutes / 2020 | Director: Akoda Kossi Messan | Country: Togo

TRKZ - Love 2.0 | Animation | 3 minutes / 2018 | Director: Ernânio Mandlate | Country: Mozambique

Turtle Taido: The Story of the Elephant | Animation | 9 minutes / 2020 | Director: Artie E Romero | Country: Nigeria

Malika - Warrior Queen | Animation | 15 minutes / 2019 | Director: Roye Okupe | Country: USA

Africa in Shorts - 9

Africa in Shorts - 9

access_time Viewing Times October 11, 2020, 11:00 am PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

TAB | Narrative Short | 13 minutes / 2019 | Director: Hlumela Matika | Country: South Africa

The Call | Narrative Short | 10 minutes / 2019 | Directors: Iban Bester, Zinhle Zulu | Country: South Africa

The Golden Record | Narrative Short | 19 minutes / 2020 | Directors: Brandon C. Thomas, Kyle Ferguson | Country: USA

The Trial of Miss Mudimbe | Narrative Short | 15 minutes / 2019 | Director: Melanee Murray-Hunt | Country: Canada

Documentary shorts - 5

Documentary shorts - 5

access_time Viewing Times October 11, 2020, 11:00 am PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Documentaries

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

Son of the Sea | Documentary - short length | 9 minutes / 2019 | Director: Candido Junior Bienvenido | Country: Dominican Republic

Stateless  |  Documentary - short length  | 15 minutes / 2020 |  Director: Chidinma Irene Nwoye  |  Country: USA

The Letter You Sent | Documentary - short length | 9 minutes / 2020 | Director: Asmaa Gamal | Country: Egypt

White Noise | Documentary - short length | 15 minutes / 2019 | Director: Gabriel Fonseca | Country: Brazil

White Privilege | Documentary - short length | 10 minutes / 2020 | Director: Brandon Upfold | Country: South Africa

Africa in Shorts - 10

Africa in Shorts - 10

access_time Viewing Times October 11, 2020, 12:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

Multi-Screening:

The Volcano’s Last Wish | Narrative short | 25 minutes / 2020 | Director: Guenny K. Pires | Country: Cape Verde

Through the Window | Narrative short | 5 minutes / 2019 | Director: Mohammad Hossam | Country: Egypt

Trumped | Narrative Short | 10 minutes / 2019 | Director: Stanlee Ohikhuare | Country: Nigeria

Unknown Union | Narrative short | 8 minutes / 2019 | Director: Makere Thekiso | Country: South Africa

Western Jackal | Narrative Short | 7 minutes / 2019 | Director: Khabane Moses Khongoana | Country: Lesotho

The Sessions @ Virtual Theater

The Sessions @ Virtual Theater

access_time Viewing Times October 11, 2020, 12:00 pm PST

Culture(s): African

Genre(s): Drama

Online Live Screenings

The Sessions | Narrative Feature | 102 minutes / 2020 | Director: Judith Audu | Country: Nigeria | A riveting tale of love gone sour, ‘The Sessions’, tells the story of Onome Oghenekaro who is married to Banjo. All seems to be going smoothly until her past comes calling. What was supposed to be a smooth sail turns into a turbulent ride as Onome finds her marriage going through tough times. Her friend Eloho, a therapist decides to wade in to help Onome and Banjo get their marriage on the right path, but as they unearth events from the past, the true nature of the situation begins to show. We also. Get to realise the Therapist is also struggling in her relationship. Will there be a compromise to make the marriage work? And Will the Therapist fix her relationship issues from the couple stories.