FROM Sunday, July 27 to Wednesday, July 30, the Nigerian Film Corporation Lagos office in Ikoyi, will host DECASIA, described as Nigeria’s flagship heritage film festival.
A collaborative effort between the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), Lagos Film Society, and several German partners including the Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art (Berlin), Deutsche Filminstitut and Filmmuseum (Frankfurt), Goethe University Frankfurt, DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), and Goethe-Institut Lagos, the festival will once again bring together creative minds from across the globe, said a statement from the NFC.
First launched in Lagos in October 2019 as the 1st Berlin-Lagos Archival Film Festival, DECASIA has since grown into a binational event, alternating between Nigeria and Germany. The 2020 edition in Berlin, themed “Reclaiming History, Unveiling Memory”, further cemented its international relevance.
DECASIA 2025 is designed to continue to offer Nigeria’s film community and the wider public a platform for: culture and heritage protection; archival capacity building; and film and cultural diplomacy
Said Dr. Ali Nuhu, CEO of the NFC, “DECASIA 2025 promises to be more than just a film festival! It’s a cultural movement. The four-day gathering will unite filmmakers, archivists, historians, scholars, and cultural enthusiasts, all focused on preserving, rediscovering, and creatively re-imagining Africa’s cinematic heritage.”
Dr Aliu added that “DECASIA isn’t just about looking back—it’s about creating sustainable pathways for the future of Nigeria’s film culture.”
Attendees at the DECASIA 2025, according to the NFC statement, should look forward to: rare archival film screenings; panel discussions on film archiving, preservation challenges, and national development; networking sessions connecting cultural memory with Nigeria’s creative industries, as well as workshops on the evolving role of digital technologies in film archiving.
“One of the key highlights will be the conversation around Nigeria’s draft National Film Archive Policy, with sessions designed to raise awareness about the critical need to protect and preserve Nigeria’s audio-visual heritage,” stated Brian Etuk, NFC’s director of Public Affairs.
Continued the statement, “Beyond screenings and discussions, DECASIA serves as a catalyst for deeper conversations about the role of archives in shaping the future of storytelling. The festival aims to foster global dialogue on film heritage and digital transformation; strengthen ties between Nigeria’s National Film Video and Sound Archive (NFVSA), the National Film Institute (NFI), and the University of Jos’ Master’s Programme in Film Culture & Archiving Studies; engage government agencies, private sector players, and content creators on the urgent need for audio-visual preservation and cultural memory management.