Official Selection Jury 2026

We would like to extend a very big thank you to all our Official Selection Jury who participated in the 3rd edition of AAIFF Africa – The All African Independent Film Festival. This festival would not be possible without the support, expertise, and generosity of our exceptional jury. Our jury is not only what make our festival possible, but they play a large part in what makes our festival special. Their tireless help, passion, and energy enable us to provide a unique venue for emerging innovative and cinematic talent to gain international recognition. We think that we speak on behalf of everyone in saying that we are extremely grateful for all the hard work and time that our jury has put forward to making this festival happen. We are beyond excited for the 3rd edition of the festival and we couldn’t have done it without them!

Composed by previous winners of the festival and industry professionals, the jury makes sure that every film is impartially judged to discovers Africa’s Best Independent Films!

Scott Hillier

Scott Hillier is an Australian Director / Cinematographer / Screenwriter. Scott studied film at New York University and The London Film and Television school as well as literary non-fiction writing at Columbia University. He has taught a Master’s Degree course in Screenwriting as well as journalism at the Centre de Formation des Journaliste (CFJ) in Paris. In addition to serving as President of ÉCU – The European Independent Film Festival, he is also Chief Creative Officer for the Zs2 Media Group in Paris.

Will Mbiakop

President of the jury, innovative, versatile, driven, Will Mbiakop is a multi-skilled business leader with over 15 years’ experience in sports business, strategy and business development in the EMEA region.
With a proven track record in consulting, sports, media and entertainment, Will is an exciting speaker at prominent international summits and conferences.
Will has a special interest in the convening and transformative power of Sport & Education in the community, empowering youth while creating business opportunities.
Will holds an MBA with Merit from the Manchester Business School.

Aimée Umutoni

Aimée Umutoni is the managing director of Anda Films 33 with over 10 years of experience in the cinema industry. She’s also the business development officer for AAIFF Africa.

Hilda Awori

Hilda Awori is a Ugandan Multidisciplinary storyteller. She studied at Makerere Univeristy in Kampala, Uganda at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Liberal and Performing Arts where she pursued a BA in Drama and Film. Her career started on stage, interning as an actress and writer at Theatre Factory.
She has been involved in a number of stage productions, as a producer and writer for television, and is the director of the impact-driven documentary “I won’t kneel”. Being mentored by Oscar-nominated Documentary filmmaker Daphne Matziaraki.
She believes in the transformative power of storytelling, and much of the work she is involved in is about using stories for positive change within her community and beyond.

Ian Gituku

Ian Gituku (born 04 June 1987) is a Kenyan-based film director & Editor. He is growing to be one of Kenya’s most aspiring documentary filmmakers. On June 18th, 2024, he won an ‘Honourable Mention’ award in the African Film Festival (PAGTIC) in Los Angeles, US and All African Film Festival in Kigali, Rwanda for his documentary ‘Sipping Words’.

He started out as a music producer and In 2022, he started The Wine Story Films , as a Youtube Channel at first, which eventually transitioned into documentary filmmaking.

Ivan Makai

Ivan Makai is an artistic individual with a creative outlook. With more than 4 years of experience in creating and producing short videos and movies for personal and corporate projects he is seeking to film moving films that tell a story.
His ability to work on his own or with small to mid-size filming crews has allowed him to direct, write, act and produce more than 5 films and 20 videos in the past three years.

Adetunji Adeoye

Adetunji Adeoye is an artist, illustrator,
animator, storyteller, and filmmaker.
His unique ability to breathe new creative
life into materials and spaces has not only
earned him the name “2thpick Art”, but also several accolades within
the industry and beyond … including the
Royal African medal for Outstanding
Achievement in Creative Culture from
the Ooni of Ife.
A graduate of the prestigious University
of Ilorin with over 17 years of experience
as an Art Director / Director.
Mr Adeoye has delivered projects for
multiple brands across varying industries.
A few of them are HBO, Samsung,
Coca-cola, Parimatch,
Diage and SABMiller.
He has also served as the art director for
multiple award winning movies, TV series and music videos such as Hate Me by Olamide & Wande Coal, Bandana by Asake & Fireboy, The Best by Davido & Mayorkun, Only me by Asake, Woman by Rema, Inspector K (S2) Introducing the Kujus – with which he bagged a “Best Art Director” AMVC nomination.
Mr Adetunji is the creative director of 2thpick Art, an Art. And a media company based in Lagos, Nigeria.

Bassma Farah Nancy

Bassma Farah Nancy is a versatile artist with a bachelor’s degree in Art Direction in Cinema and Theater from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Helwan University. She is also a graduate of Ramses College in 2012, and the Jesuit Cairo Film School in Egypt in 2022. Currently, Bassma works as a filmmaker, editor, actor, photographer, storyboard artist, singer, and music composer. She currently works as an international press guest relations manager at the Cairo International Film Festival in 2024. She has also participated in several acting and filmmaking workshops and has performed in numerous plays in community theaters. Her debut short film “Sushi With Kebda” won awards at two Egyptian film festivals. She completed “V’s Secret”, her latest short film in 2024 as her graduation project for Jesuit Cairo film school and it has been selected to compete in Durban International Film Festival 2024 and the 30th International Festival of Local Television Golden Beggar, where it won the best screenplay prize in 2024. V’s Secret has also been screened at the 78th Salerno International Film Festival in Italy.

Joyce Mhango Chavula

Filmmaker. Actress. Arts Trainer. Acting Coach.
Joyce is a Socio-Cultural Animator with over 10 years’ experience in the arts industry as a Leader, Manager, Trainer, Producer, Director and performer. She is the founder of Rising Choreos Theatre, an arts company which she established in 2009 to specialize in Film, Theatre and Dance. She became the first Southern African filmmaker to win the prestigious Africa Magic award (AMVCA) for best Southern African movie for her film titled Lilongwe. She has 3 films to her name which have been screened globally and nominated in various festivals. As a certified arts trainer, she has trained numerous artists in Malawi, Zambia (AWAFFEST), Zimbabwe and Nigeria (AMAA). She has served as a jury at IIFF (ICAPA TRUST) in Zimbabwe and is currently one of the organisers for the Malawi film festival. She holds various leadership positions in the arts sector and has once served as Vice President for Film Association and President for the National Theatre Association of Malawi.

De Nkenglack Vicky Patterson

Originally from Cameroon, Vicky is an artist passionate about dance, music, and the performing arts, having gained experience in acting through short training programs in Cameroon and online.
Throughout her career, she has had the honor of receiving two awards in 2009 and 2012, establishing her as the best actress at local festivals. Her passion for the arts is intrinsically linked to her commitment to critical social issues, including fundamental human rights, the fight against domestic violence, and speaking out against all forms of injustice.
Now more than ever, she is determined to reclaim her place on the stage—whether nationally or internationally—to continue giving a voice to these crucial issues that
are close to her heart. It is with this in mind that she co-founded Vicky K Entertainment to produce and direct major cinematic works such as “Sans Jugement.”

Gary Jeannot

At 13, Gary started creating his own comics, confirming his desire to create his own stories. After earning his technical high school diploma, he decided to return to his first love, studying Fine Arts for three years. This period confirmed that he needed to continue on this path. In 2006, Gary enrolled in a top 3D school in Paris, where he learned to master 3D and 2D tools, including Maya, After Effects, Zbrush, and many others. It was at this school that he met Samuel Baltus, and they quickly became friends, partners, and associates. With no apprenticeship contract, he decided to dedicate his free time for three years to creating short films based on his newly acquired skills. His mastery of these tools soon gave him a comprehensive vision of cinematic creation. He completed his program with an animated short film, Les leçons de maître Wong, which he finished with Samuel Baltus. In 2022, he and Samuel Baltus created their animation studio, Sanda Animation, based in Cameroon. Their goal is to breathe new life into African animation and highlight its rich folklore. The year after creating Sanda Animation, he directed his first short film, Hekima ya Usawa, made entirely in 2D, which won awards for best animation on the African continent.
Today, the team at Sanda Animation is proud to present Alfajiri at festivals and to take this magnificent project as far as it can go.

Mélanie Zawadi

Mélanie was born and lives in the DRC. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Mining Geology, Mélanie has been passionate about film and writing since she was young. She entered the field in 2018, when she met the producer of MUTHEMBWI CINEMA, a production company based in the city of Goma. She has participated in several training programs and film screenings with critical analysis. She wrote and directed her first film, *APA*, in 2018; directed the film *LES DES* in 2023; and in 2025, she directed her third short film, *KIEUPE*.