Following on from last year's successful pivot to an online competition,  this year will once again see filmmakers able to enter online to win this prestigious award.

 
As in previous years, with the winner still securing a $2,000 cash prize, and for this 8th edition of the award, The Ladima Foundation is excited to announce a partnership with the Afrikama- Current Cinema From Africa,   https://www.afrikamera.de/. The winning filmmaker will be invited to the event to screen their film and take part in networking and media opportunities. The Afrikama Festival has been committed to intercultural dialogue between Africa and Germany since 2007 and sees itself as a permanent platform for dialogue between African filmmakers and the Berlin audience, and as a place for exchange between filmmakers, producers, and distributors. 
 

From 2024 to 2027, Afrikama- Current Cinema From Africa is focusing on diverse, inspiring, groundbreaking and sometimes contradictory perspectives on key social and political issues of the present and future of the African continent, with its four main themes: BELIEVE * CHANGE * REFLECT and CREATE.

 
Open exclusively to African women, living and / or working on the continent, and for films produced in Africa,  entries are now open on Film Freeway: https://filmfreeway.com/LadimaAdiahaAward
 

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, with the 2025 edition taking place online.
 
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, Miki Redelinghuys, Pearlie Joubert: Mother City (2025),  Zippy Kimundu and Meena Nanji: Our Land, Our Freedom (2024) and Cyrielle Raingou: Le Spectre de Boko Haram (2023).
 

Key Information:   

Submissions open on Dec 10 2025 and will close at midnight CAT on March 10, 2026.

To enter and to find out more information concerning the competition, eligibility, and terms and conditions, visit FilmFreeway.com: https://filmfreeway.com/LadimaAdiahaAward

Make sure to sign up for our A-list so that you don't miss out on any important award and selection-related information. To sign up for the A-list, click on the following link: https://ladima.africa/a-list/ 

Entries are now open on Film Freeway and close on 10 March 2026. 
 

ABOUT THE LADIMA FOUNDATION
 

The Ladima Foundation is a not for profit organisation, founded in 2018 and registered in South Africa and Tanzania with the aim of contributing to correcting the major imbalances within the film, TV and content industries.

Through a number of initiatives, The Ladima Foundation supports, trains, and mentors women in a variety of roles within the film, TV, and content spaces.

Through partnerships and collaborations in various countries, as well as through Pan-African networks and interventions, the Ladima Foundation is committed to developing training, networking, and related opportunities for women professionals who demonstrate their seriousness and commitment to their craft.

The Ladima Foundation focuses on a number of key initiatives such as training via the Ladima Academy, recognition through the Adiaha Award in Documentary Film, and networking  and community via the Women of Influence Panels and the  online database and community of the A-List. www.ladima.africa