Founder of the Kaduna International Film Festival (KADIFF), Audu Israel Kashim, stated that the festival’s collaborative project with the US Embassy’s American Film Showcase is aimed at promoting impactful filmmaking.
And what medium better addresses specific local issues and peculiarities, while also conveying a direct message about a problem or a society, than the documentary – be it short or feature-length?
The four-day workshop set to be held from March 2 to 5, 2026, will train young intending and practising filmmakers who are willing and ready to make a change in their society through documentary films.
“With what is happening in our society today, and the current collaboration between the US and Nigeria, in the area of security, we are looking for filmmakers who can make a robust change through culture with documentaries. While other aspects of filmmaking will be addressed at the workshop, the key focus is on impactful productions. Impactful films. And with documentaries, you can pass impactful messages.”
Audu noted that other factors that played a huge role in the project include the peculiarity of films produced in Nigeria, in addition to the general problem of filmmaking – the absence of funds.
“We have different filmmakers who do different kinds of movies. In the north, the most common are Hausa films, which they shoot and post on YouTube. Also, not everyone has the resources to do Netflix or cinema productions. Hence, the more common kind of film you see in Nigeria is the YouTube or local TV type of production, like Africa Magic. These are all the things we considered for the workshop confirmation. The need to provide skills for those who don’t have the resources to do big-budget movies.”
The workshop, to be facilitated by award-winning American filmmaker Patrick Shen, will see all selected participants join the masterclass on the first day. The second day will see them split into groups for practicals, and on the third day, split further into groups for training.
