As it enters its 8th edition, the award will be run online from the 9th December 2025 to the 10th March 2026 by the Ladima Foundation with the winner securing a $2,000 cash prize, as well as the opportunity to have their film screened at various international festivals.
The Adiaha Award for African Female Documentary Filmmakers was launched at the Zanzibar International Film Festival in 2018 and awarded there through 2019. The 2020 through 2024 editions of the Award were presented as part of the Encounters International Documentary Film Festival, South Africa, and has now moved to an online platform. In addition to a cash prize, the filmmaker is invited to screen their film at a number of partner festivals throughout Africa and beyond.
Over the years the Adiaha Award has become a prestigious distinction and has seen many of the winners go on to win awards at festivals around the world. Previous winners have included:
Pearlie Joubert and Miki Redelinghuys: Mother City (2024), Zippy Kimundu and Meena Nanji: Our Land, Our Freedom (2024) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sQ16s-EGYI and Cyrielle Raingou: Le Spectre de Boko Haram (2023) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5y4e61TSMk.
To enter and to find out more information concerning the competition, eligibility, and terms and conditions, visit FilmFreeway.com: https://filmfreeway.com/LadimaAdiahaAward