KAP Group’s ÌTÀN plans an October 2027 gathering connecting African filmmakers, investors, educators and archivists around cinema’s future and heritage.
A new Pan-African screen gathering is taking shape in Nigeria, with ambitions that reach beyond premieres and awards. KAP Group has unveiled ÌTÀN: The Screen Gathering & Awards, an annual platform intended to connect the people shaping African cinema, from filmmakers and distributors to educators, archivists and technology leaders.
Femi Odugbemi introduced ÌTÀN at KAP Film Village & Resort in Igbojaye, Oyo State, on September 17, 2026. KAP subsequently published a detailed announcement on October 2, confirming that the inaugural gathering is planned for October 2027 at the resort.
More than another awards ceremony
Although awards form part of its identity, ÌTÀN is being positioned as a broader industry Community. Its proposed agenda covers film financing, distribution, exhibition, technology, policy, criticism, education and cross-border collaboration—areas that directly affect how African stories are developed, circulated and preserved.
That scope matters for Nollywood. Filmmakers may have more production and digital-release opportunities than before, including access to YouTube audiences, but sustainable growth also depends on stronger professional networks, informed criticism, investment and reliable routes into markets across Africa and the diaspora.
A gathering with Pan-African ambitions
The range of figures present at the unveiling offered an early picture of the Community ÌTÀN hopes to convene. Attendees included Kunle Afolayan, Tunde Kelani, Jean-Pierre Bekolo, Keith Shiri, Virginie Besson-Silla, Chioma Ude and Sola Sobowale, alongside Odugbemi.
For emerging actors, filmmakers and producers, the most interesting element may be the proposed exchange between established practitioners and newer voices. Two films produced through the accompanying KAP-SOPA bootcamp were offered Students’ Film screenings at AFRIFF, showing how KAP’s training activities can connect developing filmmakers with wider festival exposure.
Preserving African screen history
The unveiling also included a strategic consultation on preserving African cinema and restoring historic films. Organisers have discussed a longer-term proposal for a Museum of African Cinema, potentially giving the gathering a heritage role alongside its industry programme.
These remain ambitions rather than completed projects. Detailed programme tracks, ticketing, submission procedures and operational plans for the proposed museum and restoration work have not yet been published. October 2027 is also an announced launch window, not a fully dated public event.
Still, ÌTÀN’s combination of industry conversation, talent development and film preservation makes it worth watching. If its plans become concrete, the gathering could offer Nollywood and the wider African screen sector a recurring place to examine not only what is being made, but how African cinema can travel, endure and grow.
Join the conversation
Which area should ÌTÀN prioritise at its first gathering: financing, distribution, training or film preservation?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Sources
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