The Lekki International Film Festival (Lekkifest) is scheduled to hold from November 17 to 21, 2026, with an expanded programme bringing together film, advertising, creative media, spoken word and literature.
The organisers explained that the 2026 edition would combine three festivals under one platform, with activities grouped into three categories: Film’s Best, Creative Media, and Spoken Word & Literature.
The festival will take place at Iwalewa Art Gallery, 29A Chris Madueke Drive, Lekki Phase 1, and Lagos Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, under the theme “Three Creative Worlds One Festival.”
Each section will feature its own awards programme and dedicated publication showcasing shortlisted entries, participating creatives, interviews, industry insights and selected works.
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Film’s Best will remain the festival’s flagship programme, with filmmakers from Nigeria, other African countries, the African diaspora and the global film community invited to submit their works for consideration.
The festival’s highest honour, the Segun Oyekunle Award for Overall Best Film, will be named after Segun Oyekunle, Lekkifest’s inaugural Jury Chairman, who died shortly after the 2019 edition held at Lekki Coliseum.
Other film categories include Best Long Feature Film, Best Short Feature Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Indigenous Language Film and Best Mobile Phone/AI Film.
The newly introduced Mobile Phone/AI Film category will recognise productions made with mobile devices, artificial intelligence or a combination of emerging digital filmmaking technologies.
The Creative Media section will focus on advertising and visual storytelling, featuring television commercials, digital and online video advertisements, still advertising, campaign photography, branded visual content, and vintage and heritage advertising.
The programme will also revisit memorable commercials and advertising campaigns from previous decades. In selected categories, members of the public will be able to view shortlisted works, vote and share their memories through the festival’s social media platforms.
The organisers explained that the initiative was designed to encourage conversations about advertising, culture, creativity and social change, while preserving campaigns that had become part of the public’s collective memory.
The third section, Spoken Word & Literature, will highlight the role of literary works and spoken performances in the creative processes behind film and media production.
Writers, poets, performers, dramatists, storytellers and emerging literary voices will be invited to submit works in categories including spoken-word poetry, performance poetry, short stories, poetry, dramatic writing, literary extracts, screenwriting and other film-related writing.
Selected participants may also be invited to showcase their works through live spoken-word performances and literary readings during the festival.
The organisers stated that entrants could submit multiple works, with individuals, companies, agencies, institutions and production organisations eligible to enter several works within one category, across multiple categories or in all three festival sections.
However, each entry must be submitted separately and accompanied by the required fee. Submissions received during the designated late-entry period will also be considered, subject to additional charges.
Lekkifest 2026 will publish three official compilations: Film’s Best Awards, Creative Media Awards, and Spoken Word & Literature Awards.
TheNation
