DECASIA Returns to Lagos: A Celebration of African Film Heritage

 DECASIA Returns to Lagos: A Celebration of African Film Heritage

Lagos, July 14, 2025

DECASIA, Nigeria’s flagship heritage film festival, is set to return to Lagos for its highly anticipated 2025 edition. The festival, a collaborative effort between the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), Lagos Film Society, and several German partners including the Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art (Berlin), Deutsche Filminstitut and Filmmuseum (Frankfurt), Goethe University Frankfurt, DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), and Goethe-Institut Lagos, will once again bring together creative minds from across the globe.

This year’s event will run from Sunday, July 27 to Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at the Nigerian Film Corporation’s Lagos office in Ikoyi.

According to Dr. Ali Nuhu, Chief Executive Officer of the NFC, DECASIA 2025 promises to be more than just a film festival! It’s a cultural movement. The four-day gathering will unite filmmakers, archivists, historians, scholars, and cultural enthusiasts, all focused on preserving, rediscovering, and creatively re-imagining Africa’s cinematic heritage.

What to Expect at DECASIA 2025

Attendees can look forward to:

● Rare archival film screenings.

● Panel discussions on film archiving, preservation challenges, and national development.

● Networking sessions connecting cultural memory with Nigeria’s creative industries.

● Workshops on the evolving role of digital technologies in film archiving.

One of the key highlights will be the conversation around Nigeria’s draft National Film Archive Policy, with sessions designed to raise awareness about the critical need to protect and preserve Nigeria’s audio-visual heritage.

More Than a Festival—A Call to Action

Beyond screenings and discussions, DECASIA serves as a catalyst for deeper conversations about the role of archives in shaping the future of storytelling. The festival aims to:

● Foster global dialogue on film heritage and digital transformation.

● Strengthen ties between Nigeria’s National Film Video and Sound Archive (NFVSA), the National Film Institute (NFI), and the University of Jos’ Master’s Programme in Film Culture & Archiving Studies.

● Engage government agencies, private sector players, and content creators on the urgent need for audio-visual preservation and cultural memory management.

A Growing Legacy

First launched in Lagos in October 2019 as the 1st Berlin-Lagos Archival Film Festival, DECASIA has since grown into a binational event, alternating between Nigeria and Germany. The 2020 edition in Berlin, themed “Reclaiming History, Unveiling Memory”, further cemented its international relevance.

Now in 2025, DECASIA continues to offer Nigeria’s film community and the wider public a platform for:

● Culture and heritage protection

● Archival capacity building

● Film and cultural diplomacy

As Dr. Ali Nuhu emphasizes, DECASIA isn’t just about looking back—it’s about creating sustainable pathways for the future of Nigeria’s film culture.

For media inquiries or participation details, contact:

Brian Etuk

Director, Public Affairs

Nigerian Film Corporation