Short Films
Compact stories with strong craft, clarity, and emotional or social resonance.
Warien Rose International Film Festival
Real Stories. Global Impact.
A purpose-driven international film festival celebrating exceptional storytelling, cinematic excellence, creative innovation, and films that inspire positive social change.
Presented by Warien Rose Academy. Powered by Warien Rose Foundation.
Submissions Now Open
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Calling filmmakers, storytellers, documentarians, animators, students, and creatives from around the world.
Opening Date: July 1, 2026. Submission Deadline: July 24, 2026.
Submission categories
Films accepted across six categories.
Feature Films
Long-form fiction and hybrid works with cinematic ambition and audience impact.
Documentary Films
Non-fiction films exploring people, communities, culture, innovation, justice, and change.
Animation
Animated storytelling across styles, formats, and socially conscious themes.
Student Films
Work by emerging filmmakers in schools, universities, academies, and training programs.
Diaspora Films
Stories engaging identity, migration, heritage, belonging, and global African experience.
Special opportunity
Do you have a film focused on social impact, Sustainable Development Goals, innovation and technology, or community transformation?
Selected short films will have the opportunity to be screened in Switzerland.
Film submission form
Submit Film Details
Use this form to prepare your WRIFF submission details. The form opens an email using your device email app.
About the festival
Celebrating Stories That Matter. Empowering Filmmakers. Inspiring Change.
WRIFF is a purpose-driven international film festival created to elevate stories that combine cinematic excellence with human meaning, cultural relevance, and measurable impact.
The festival brings filmmakers, educators, distributors, broadcasters, studios, NGOs, investors, students, and creative leaders into conversation around the future of film and media for development.
Vision
To become a respected international platform for stories that reveal truth, expand imagination, and inspire social progress.
Mission
To celebrate filmmakers whose work advances cinematic excellence, cultural understanding, innovation, and community transformation.
Purpose
To connect film with education, advocacy, opportunity, global dialogue, and sustainable creative development.
The festival exists to
Create visibility, dialogue, and opportunity.
Our ambition
WRIFF aims to become a trusted international film festival in Nigeria with a global network of filmmakers, cultural institutions, educators, media partners, funders, and social impact organizations.
Our focus areas
- Social impact cinema
- African and diaspora storytelling
- Media for development
- Innovation and technology
- Community transformation
- Emerging filmmaker development
Standards
Eligibility, disqualification, and judging criteria.
Eligibility Requirements
- Films must be submitted by an authorized representative.
- Films may be fiction, documentary, animation, student, or diaspora works.
- Films in languages other than English should include English subtitles.
- Submissions must include a working screening link.
Disqualification Criteria
- False submission information.
- Missing or inaccessible screening links.
- Unauthorized use of copyrighted materials.
- Content that promotes hate, exploitation, or direct harm.
Judging Criteria
- Story strength and originality.
- Cinematic execution and production craft.
- Social relevance and impact potential.
- Audience engagement and emotional clarity.
- Innovation, authenticity, and cultural insight.
Festival goals
What WRIFF is building over time.
Recognize Excellence
Celebrate filmmakers with strong craft, bold ideas, and meaningful stories.
Advance Impact
Support films that contribute to education, advocacy, culture, and change.
Connect Markets
Build bridges among filmmakers, funders, broadcasters, studios, NGOs, and investors.
Develop Talent
Create pathways for African and international filmmakers to learn, collaborate, and grow.
Festival leadership
Governed with institutional clarity and creative vision.
Dr. Efe Anaughe, Esq.
Founder, Festival President & Chair of the Governing Council
As Founder and President, Dr. Efe Anaughe provides the strategic vision, institutional leadership, governance oversight, and final authority on all major festival matters. As Chair of the Governing Council, she ensures that the festival remains aligned with the mission and values of the Warien Rose Foundation.
Jheri Blake
Co-Artistic & Executive Festival Director
Jheri Blake provides joint leadership for the artistic direction and executive management of the festival, overseeing programming, partnerships, festival operations, filmmaker engagement, and strategic growth initiatives.
Akinnayajo Babatunde A.
Co-Artistic & Executive Festival Director
Akinnayajo Babatunde A. provides joint leadership for the artistic direction and executive management of the festival, overseeing programming, industry engagement, festival operations, talent development, and the advancement of the festival's creative and strategic objectives.
Governance statement
Founded, owned, and governed by the Warien Rose Foundation.
The Warien Rose International Film Festival is founded, owned, and governed by the Warien Rose Foundation through the Warien Rose Academy. Strategic oversight is provided by the Festival Governing Council under the leadership of the Founder, Festival President & Chair of the Governing Council, Dr. Efe Anaughe, Esq.
The day-to-day artistic and executive management of the festival is jointly led by the Co-Artistic & Executive Festival Directors, Jheri Blake and Akinnayajo Babatunde A., with Dr. Efe Anaughe performing oversight functions.
Submit your story to WRIFF.
Real stories can travel far when they are crafted with excellence, purpose, and courage.