The 2026 NBO Project Showcase will take place during the main festival scheduled for 15th–25th October 2026 in Nairobi.
By Adedamola Jones Adedayo
NBO Film Festival has opened a call for submissions towards the inaugural edition of NBO Project Showcase, a dedicated market designed to help deserving Kenyan projects evolve from script to screen. The festival is calling for filmmakers from across the continent to submit feature-length projects in development and pre-production towards the forthcoming 2026 industry programme.
Eligible projects for consideration must be African feature films in fiction or creative documentary format, have at least 20% of already-secured budget, and involve filmmakers in search of international sales partners, distributors or collaborators.
Selected projects will receive a dedicated slot in the NBO Pitching Sessions, one-on-one meetings with international buyers and festival scouts, and be eligible for a development grant worth KES 250,000 (two hundred and fifty thousand Kenyan Shillings).
Considered a transformative leap in the mission to democratise and professionalise African cinema, the 2026 NBO Project Showcase will take place during the main festival scheduled for 15th to 25th October, 2026 in Nairobi.
Launched in 2016, the NBO Film Festival annually platforms African and international films, and features masterclasses, panel sessions, Q&A sessions with filmmakers, as well as industry networking events. Highlights of the last edition of the festival included critically acclaimed titles such as Maia Lekow and Christopher King’s How to Build a Library (2025), Eloise King’s The Shadow Scholars (2024), Nyasha Kadandara’s Matabeleland and Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine’s Memories of Love Returned (2024), and Damien Hauser’s Memory of Princess Mumbi (2025)—with the entire lineup featuring more than 26 films from over 15 countries. The forthcoming showcase is the latest offering in the festival’s repertoire, geared towards nurturing the continent’s budding talents and creating a pipeline for African screen advancement.
Applicants for the NBO Showcase Project are welcome from 15th July to 15th August 2026 through an online portal.