Jali Film Weekender Announces Full Programme - TICKETS NOW ON SALE
Jali Collective is proud to reveal the full programme for the first ever Jali Film Weekender, taking place at Filmhouse, Edinburgh from 30 October – 2 November 2025, with tickets now on sale.
Following the earlier announcement of the festival’s opening and closing films and its Extended Realities exhibition, the complete line-up now brings together a dynamic mix of award-winning features, Scottish and UK premieres, discussions, workshops and short films under the festival’s inaugural theme, Dreams and Apparitions.
Spanning more than a dozen countries across Africa, the diaspora and beyond, the programme presents stories that move between the intimate and the cosmic, the past and the future. With premieres direct from major festivals including Berlin, Sundance and Locarno, and films representing their countries at the Academy Awards, Jali Film Weekender positions Edinburgh as a new gathering place for Black, African and diasporic cinema.
PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS
In addition to opening film Memory of Princess Mumbi and closing film Promised Sky, among the headline feature film titles is the Scottish Premiere of Imran Hamdulay’s The Heart is a Muscle, fresh from its award-winning premiere at Berlinale in February and selection as South Africa’s official Oscar submission.
Other highlights include a special preview of Sofia Alaoui’s Sundance prize-winning sci-fi thriller Animalia, ahead of its highly anticipated UK and Ireland theatrical release later in the year and the Scottish Premiere of Denise Fernandes’ award-winning Hanami, which offers a dreamlike coming-of-age story set on the volcanic islands of Cape Verde.
Acknowledging the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan, Jali Film Weekender will also present the Scottish Premiere of Berlinale stand-out Khartoum, in partnership with Scottish Documentary Institute, which offers a moving portrait of life amidst revolution and war. The screening will be followed by an in-conversation with Talal Afifi, producer and founder of Sudan Film Factory. “We are honoured to be partners of the Jali Film Weekender as it launches in Edinburgh's cultural landscape” says Flore Cosquer, Director of Scottish Documentary Institute. She continues: “The festival's dedication to building authentic community connections through exceptional cinema resonates deeply with our own values, reflecting our shared belief that communities across Scotland deserve access to storytelling that speaks to the richness of our collective experiences. The Jali Collective has poured their passion into this project and created something truly special: a layered, magical programme that goes beyond traditional screenings to foster meaningful conversations. This is cinema as community-building at its finest. We are proud to be part of its first chapter, and to get the opportunity to bring to Edinburgh audiences the genre-defying, bold and poetic documentary Khartoum.”
Another documentary work featured in the programme is the Scottish Premiere of Celia Boussebaa's Amakki, presented in partnership with maona art, a lyrical meditation on womanhood and motherhood in Ethiopia. The festival also proudly honours cinematic legacy of the late Souleymane Cissé who passed away earlier this year, with a screening of his seminal work Yeelen, now restored in 2K by Les Films Cissé, the production company of Souleymane Cissé.
Finally, the festival’s short film programme spans multiple continents, with new works from across Africa, the Caribbean, North America and Europe, demonstrating the depth and range of diasporic storytelling today. The programme includes the European premiere of Jard Lerebours' LESPRI, the UK premiere of Justice Rutikara's Ibuka, Justice, and Scottish premieres of Yasmine Djedje-Fisher-Azoume's Dédé (Ancestor), Barbara Minishi's Inheritance, Samuel Suffren's Blue Heart (Coeur Bleu), Tomisin Adepeju's Journey Mercies and many more.
TALKS, WORKSHOPS & GATHERINGS
The Weekender is as much about conversation and participation as it is about film. A central highlight is a public discussion on how to centre Black, African and diaspora audiences in Scotland. Rooted in Jali Collective values of representation and co-creation, the session will bring together creative practitioners, programmers, and community organisers to explore challenges and best practices in making Scotland’s cultural landscape more inclusive, and to share approaches such as community-centred outreach, intentional partnerships and co-programming.
Workshops and interactive experiences also offer audiences ways to connect beyond the cinema screen. The festival will host hands-on creative activities and the previously announced Extended Realities (XR) Exhibition, which will run every day of the festival and is free to attend. This includes ARGO, an augmented reality experience designed with children in mind, offering fun and engaging activities for younger audiences, alongside Enkang’ Ang’, an immersive VR journey into Maasai heritage. Together, these elements ensure that the Weekender is a space for gathering, dialogue and play, welcoming audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
“From films and extended realities to conversations and workshops, our first programme brings together stories that are as urgent as they are visionary” say Jali Collective members Tomiwa Folorunso, Isabel Moura Mendes and Carmen Thompson. “We are proud to have curated an intentional programme which we hope will resonate with both Edinburgh’s Black, African and diaspora communities as well as the city’s wider filmgoing community. We cannot wait to share it with our audiences!”.
All events will take place at Filmhouse, Edinburgh, which reopened earlier this year as a renewed hub for independent and international cinema
Jali Film Weekender 2025 is supported by Screen Scotland and Film Hub Scotland (part of the BFI’s Film Audience Network, awarding funding on behalf of Screen Scotland and the BFI National Lottery), alongside the British Council and The Africa Centre, programme partners Scottish Documentary Institute, maona art, and additional support from Jack Arts, Premiere Scotland.
Jali Film Weekender 2025 artwork and branding by 080 Studio, based in Lagos, Nigeria.
