Namibia Film Week 2026: What's On and Who's Talking

The Namibia Film Commission (NFC) is running the 5th edition of The Film Week from 12 to 15 March 2026 at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Windhoek. The event is free to attend for screenings, which run daily from 10h00 to 21h30. The industry programme — workshops, panel discussions, masterclasses, and fire chats — is held at the NUST HTTPS Building. Panels and masterclasses have reached full registration capacity; two workshops still had limited spaces available at the time of the press release. Registration is at www.nfc.na.

The Screenings

140 films screen across four days, drawn from 21 African countries including Namibia, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The programme breaks down to 25 features, 62 shorts, 28 documentaries, 17 animations, 27 student films, and 3 web series. Screenings run simultaneously across three venues inside the NUST Science and Technology Building — Auditorium 1 (ground floor), Auditorium 2 (ground floor), and Auditorium 3 (3rd floor) — with Classroom H used on Days 1 and 2.

The opening night on 12 March is built around Skeleton Coast (80’), preceded by a welcoming cocktail from 18h30. The first two days lean heavily on shorter works in Classroom H, with films ranging from 3 to 29 minutes running back-to-back from 10h00. Day 1 in Auditorium 1 opens with Open Cage (19’) and moves through to The Goal (55’), Guardians of Eden (48’), and Penda’s Dilemma (50’), with the French-language Procès Mbako, Anioto Homme Léopard (87’) as the afternoon’s longest entry.

Friday the 13th is Documentaries Premiere Day, with three films screened in the NUST HTTPS Plennery Room from 17h30: Image Restitution (72’), Echoes of the Wild (28’), and Ras Sheehama – The Man. The Music. (50’). That same afternoon, Classroom H runs a separate block of shorter films including Loading (23’), Lusata Cultural Festival (58’), and Madaniya (75’).

Saturday the 14th is the most film-dense day of the event, with three auditoriums running full schedules from 10h00. Auditorium 1 opens with the Ompata Web Series (5’) before moving into Snare (28’), Walvis Tale (24’), Under the Hanging Tree (93’), and the Namibian feature Kapana (62’), closing with The Funeral (57’). Auditorium 2 runs The Sea People of the Namibian Coast (21’), The Wound (105’), Kauna’s ER (56’), and Whispers of the Namib (35’). Auditorium 3 covers a wide range including Generation Rwanda (50’), Baka, the Wisdom of the Forest (46’), and Zula Boys (68’). Saturday evening (18h00–22h00) is the NFC Shorts Premiere, featuring Namibian short films including Emanya (28’), The B2 Passage (20’), Journey of The Past (20’), and The Good Shepherd (23’).

Sunday the 15th wraps up the programme with a full day of screenings before the closing ceremony at 18h30. Auditorium 1 includes #LANDoftheBRAVEFILM (95’), Wish For Death (63’), Ompata: Rambo (68’), and Lubinda (50’). Auditorium 2 runs Lukas (104’), EMNA (71’), and Mwananga (70’). Auditorium 3 packs in more than a dozen films between 10h00 and 18h00, including WED (75’), Windhoek City (35’), and The Guardians (The Chosen Ones) (36’). The final public screening of the event is Speel Aan (51’) in Auditorium 1 at 19h00. Audiences can vote for their favourite eligible Namibian film for the Audience Choice Award at the 2026 Namibian Theatre and Film Awards.

The Industry Programme

The two workshops run across consecutive days. Shamila Phillips of Money Penny Financial Services leads Production Budgeting and Taxation on 12 and 13 March (09h00–15h00), covering production budgets, bookkeeping, and tax obligations throughout a project’s life. Khayisile Zondi of Sinema Films SA leads Film Marketing and Publicity on 14 and 15 March (10h00–15h00), focused on early-stage planning and market-aware decision-making so that filmmakers can manage their own film’s journey from development to release.

The panel discussions open on Friday 13 March with the NFC’s own strategy on the table. Moderated by Micheal Pulse, the session brings together Florence Haifene, Esther Beukes, Reagan Malumo, and Ronald James — drawn from the NFC Board and Executive Secretary — to examine the commission’s 2026–2028 direction. Later that afternoon, the Oscars Committee convenes for a discussion on Namibia’s road to the Academy Awards, moderated by Gustav Nuuyoma, with Tim Huebschle and Obed Emvula. The day closes with a career-focused panel moderated by Fellemon Ndongo, with Esther Beukes, Leon Mubiana, and Micheal Pulse discussing roles and opportunities in the film industry, presented by the Filmmakers Association of Namibia.

Friday also includes a fire chat at 12h00 on set etiquette — the do’s and don’ts of working on a film set — moderated by Morna Ikosa, with Gerson Gawanab, Ndayola Ulenga, and Vickson Hangula.

Saturday 14 March opens with a practical storytelling session, From Idea to Script, moderated by Leon Mubiana and featuring Thandeka Zwana of the Realness Institute alongside Vickson Hangula and Jenny Kandenge. At 11h00, the documentary panel — moderated by Oshoveli Shipoh with Jana von Hase, Andrew Botelle, and Sophie Haikali — takes on the specific challenges of making documentary work from Namibia. The midday slot belongs to the LearnOnOne panel, moderated by Zellmari Brandt, with Professor Phillip Santos, Skot Welch, Lizette Kavari, and Othilia Mungoba, presented in association with Future Media and Mosaic Film Experience.

Saturday afternoon wraps with a Post-Production Masterclass by the Filmmakers Association of Namibia (15h00–16h30), covering how post-production shapes storytelling, emotional impact, and production quality, including workflows, industry standards, and cost-effective techniques for local and international platforms.

The final industry session is a Casting for Film Masterclass on Sunday 15 March (10h00–11h00), led by Kulan Ganes of Pencilled Casting. The session covers the casting process from auditions to final selection, what directors look for in actors, and how casting choices shape performance and authenticity.