Togo, Algeria and Egypt shine in CANEX Shorts film contest

Algiers, 11 September 2025 - Short films from Togo, Algeria and Egypt scooped top prizes in the 2025 edition of CANEX Shorts competition, which recognises and celebrates the next generation of filmmakers from Africa and the Diaspora.

The annual competition, run by the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), an intervention by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), showcased talent in animation, documentary, and fiction categories amongst young filmmakers aged between 18 and 35 years. Each winning film was awarded US$2,000 cash prize and screened at the award ceremony held in CANEX at IATF, as part of the just concluded Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 (IATF2025) in Algiers, Algeria.

Zogbeto, a film by Togolese filmmaker, Matthieu Abal on ancestral beliefs, won in the Fiction category of the competition. In the Animation category, Olivia by Algerian filmmaker, Shawki Boukef, which portrays resilience in a harsh environment, was named the winner. Meanwhile, Young Hearts by Egyptian filmmaker, Marwa El Sharkway highlighting the plight of children across the world won in the Documentary category.

For each category, judges gave special mention to one short film. Misfit by Kenyan filmmaker Karanja Ng'endo exploring experiences of people living with albinism got special mention in the Fiction category. Heart of Gold by Beninese filmmaker, Destin Junior Gnonlonfou on children and women got special mention in the Animation category; while Where the Dust Still Smiles by Kristian Kisaa from Uganda was recognised in the Documentary category.

In a statement, the jury that comprised respected film experts from across the continent, noted that short films are a great starting point in learning the skills and craft of filmmaking, allowing filmmakers to tell a well-crafted story with emotional beats, performances and authenticity.

Speaking during the award ceremony and screening, the Managing Director of Human Resources at Afreximbank, Stephen Tio Kauma said that the more than 700 entries in CANEX Shorts demonstrated the rich talent that abounds in the continent.

"CANEX Shorts is more than a celebration of the power of storytelling. It is a platform for spotlighting Africa's vibrant filmmaking industry. In the true spirit of CANEX, it aims to unlock and expand opportunities for African creatives, while elevating their talent onto the world stage," Mr Kauma added.

The CANEX Shorts 2025 competition was open for African filmmakers living on the continent, in the diaspora or the Caribbean. To enter in one of the three categories, they needed to submit a short film of up to five minutes, produced in 2023 or after, and in any language.

CANEX at IATF2025 provided a unique platform for nurturing business, investment opportunities, collaboration, partnerships and inspiration amongst diverse creative and cultural industries from film, music, and fashion to culinary arts, sports, and visual arts amongst others. Participants included creatives, policymakers, financial institutions, business and political leaders, development partners, thought leaders as well as some of the most respected names in the creative and cultural industries from across the continent and the diaspora.

IATF2025 is co-convened by Afreximbank, the African Union Commission and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat. IATF is a platform for businesses to showcase their goods and services to visitors and buyers while exploring opportunities and exchanging information and is projected to facilitate trade and investment deals worth over US$44 billion. It aims to tap into opportunities from AfCFTA's single market of over 1.4 billion people and GDP of over US$3.5 trillion.

The just ended fourth Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025) was a huge success, exceeding all its targets. The event drew over 112,000 participants, both in person and online, and generated more than $48 billion in trade deals. It featured over 2,100 exhibitors and was attended by 20 Heads of State and Government representatives, along with several ministers and other senior government officials and leading business people.

For more information, please visithttps://www.intrafricantradefair.com.

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About the Intra-African Trade Fair

Organised by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), African Union Commission (AUC) and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) is intended to provide a unique platform for facilitating trade and investment information exchange in support of increased intra-African trade and investment, especially in the context of implementing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). IATF brings together continental and global players to showcase and exhibit their goods and services and to explore business and investment opportunities in the continent. It also provides a platform to share trade, investment and market information with stakeholders and allows participants to discuss and identify solutions to the challenges confronting intra-African trade and investment. In addition to African participants, the Trade Fair is also open to businesses and investors from non-African countries interested in doing business in Africa and in supporting the continent's transformation through industrialisation and export development.

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