The Ladima Foundation is excited to announce the five shortlisted films for the 2026 edition of the Adiaha Award for Best Documentary by an African Woman Filmmaker after receiving a record number of submissions.
With a strong representation this year from North Africa, the five films will now proceed to the jury for the final selection and the announcement of a winner that will take place in June 2026. Selection Committee member Theresa Hill (Deputy Director at STEPS – Social Transformation and Empowerment Projects) had this to say of this year’s batch of submissions: “I was impressed by the diverse range of complex themes explored, as well as the broad geographical scope. Many of the films engaged deeply with questions of identity and belonging, while also reflecting on how we honour those who came before us.”
As in previous years, the winner will receive a $2,000 cash prize, and for this, the 8th edition of the award, the winning filmmaker will be invited to Afrikamera – Current Cinema from Africa in Berlin later this year to screen their film and take part in networking and media opportunities. Afrikamera – Current Cinema from Africa 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.
The Ladima Foundation would like to thank all of the women filmmakers who took the time to submit their films and also congratulates the five shortlisted filmmakers.
The shortlisted films are the following:
Tin Hinan, The Last Nomad [Algeria] – Directed by Leila Artese Benhadj
I return to the Sahara searching for my origins, guided by my mother’s memories and by my own need to understand where I come from. In the desert, I find Fatimata and her daughter Leila, two Tuareg women living the fragile passage between nomadism and sedentariness. Through their daily gestures and my voice addressing my mother, the film becomes an intimate journey where a personal quest intersects with a broader transformation and where the silence of the desert holds both memory and change.
The Last Letter to Nasser [Egypt] – Directed by Fayza Harby Bemmann
The filmmaker falls into a dilemma while shooting a documentary on the Nubian displacements; she seeks answers to her questions by deciding to write to the then Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. The film explores the personal impact of state-led infrastructure projects on the Nubian community through the examination of the life of a woman named Tahra, who navigates the memories of her flooded village and the societal changes enacted by the Nasser regime.
Sleeping Warrior [Kenya] – Directed by Janet Wells and produced by Nina Ruiz
Sleeping Warrior is a feature documentary about the first female African lacrosse team. We follow these young women from their homes in Kenya to the World Championships in Canada and see how an unimaginable opportunity has transformed their humble lives.
From getting their first passports to discovering how their friends and families react, we learn how the power of sport changes these young women. There is heartbreak, joy and always strength of spirit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G29JEePcf0
50 Metres [Egypt] – Directed by Yomna Khattab
Through a complex and emotionally layered father-daughter journey set in the waters of a community swimming pool in Cairo, Yomna, a first-time director, uses the filmmaking process as a tool to spend more time with her distant father. As she approaches him, she explores her existential questions surrounding career, parenthood and mortality. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=687930596920579
And She Didn’t Die [South Africa] – Directed by Kethiwe Zandile Ngcobo
And She Didn’t Die is an intimate portrait of Lauretta Ngcobo’s journey from rural storyteller to revolutionary to acclaimed feminist writer in exile, told through the eyes of her daughter, filmmaker Kethiwe Ngcobo. This hybrid documentary uses family archives, historical footage, and dramatic readings to show how Lauretta’s dangerous political work, escape from South Africa, and literary transformation became acts of resistance, preserving personal history while challenging national narratives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ykekRY7G94
ABOUT THE LADIMA FOUNDATION
The Ladima Foundation is a non-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.
ABOUT AFRIKAMERA – Current Cinema from Africa
The non-profit cultural association Toucouleur e.V. has promoted the AFRIKAMERA film festival – Current Cinema from Africa – since 2007, fostering intercultural dialogue between Africa and Germany. AFRIKAMERA uses film to showcase to Berlin audiences the full diversity of the African continent, beyond the common topics of violence, disease, and natural disasters. By presenting everyday life’s many facets and inner perspectives of filmmakers from the continent, it brings these stories to life on the big screen.
AFRIKAMERA positions itself as a lasting platform for dialogue between African filmmakers and Berlin audiences and as a hub for exchange among filmmakers, producers, and distributors. To this end, AFRIKAMERA collaborates with major African film festivals, institutions, and initiatives from Marrakesh to Durban.
With annually changing thematic focuses, the festival tackles issues relevant to Africa’s post-independence generation of young filmmakers. AFRIKAMERA also engages in education and cultural outreach, by organising workshops, panels, and events in Germany and abroad.
