Promoting Gender Equality in the African Film Industry, Screening of short films from the UNESCO-Tamayouz Cinema Foundation residency for young African women filmmakers

In 2026, UNESCO will showcase ten short films created by ten participants of the UNESCO-Tamayouz Cinema Foundation residency for young African women filmmakers at its Headquarters.

In recent years, UNESCO has increased its efforts to bolster the African film industry, recognizing its potential as a driver for social change, job creation, and regional integration. Supported by the People’s Republic of China, UNESCO published The African Film Industry: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities for Growth (2021), which estimates that the sector could generate over 20 million jobs and US$20 billion annually with proper support. The report also highlights ongoing challenges, including gender disparities.

To tackle these issues, UNESCO launched targeted initiatives to build capacities, expand professional networks, and enhance the visibility of women filmmakers in the African film ecosystem. Recently, UNESCO collaborated with the Tamayouz Cinema Foundation (Morocco), backed by the People’s Republic of China, to conduct a six-week residency for ten emerging African women filmmakers.

The program included technical workshops and mentoring, guided by filmmakers and producers Abderrahmane Sissako, Hicham Lasri, and Lamia Chraibi. Each participant then wrote, directed, and produced an original short film. The chosen theme—call centres—served as both a narrative and symbolic thread for the residency. Call centres represent microcosms of globalization and reflect the complex social and economic realities shaping contemporary Africa. Through this shared motif, each filmmaker expressed the theme in her own voice, weaving stories that reflect local identities, personal struggles, and collective aspirations.

Organized alongside the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, this side-event will give the audience the chance to discover these filmmakers’ works.