300 Films Submitted for Consideration as iKON Awards Submissions Close

African creatives pose for a picture during last year’s iKON Activate in Lagos, Nigeria

By Our Reporter

The iKON, Uganda’s biggest and most prestigious film awards ceremony, has officially closed the film submission entry for the 4th iKON Awards with a significant surge in international film entries from across Africa and beyond.

A total of 300 films, comprising both local and international productions have been received for consideration.

The international submissions for the iKON Awards came from a diverse range of countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Tunisia, Kenya, Egypt, Zambia, Tanzania, Sudan, Senegal, Namibia, Morocco, Malawi, South Korea, Brazil, Colombia, France, Argentina, Georgia, Sweden, Greece, India, Mexico, Malaysia, and the United States.

The exponential increase in international submission reflects the theme of the 4th edition: “Beyond Borders”, which aims to foster collaboration between international filmmakers and Ugandan counterparts to grow local content.

To date, iKON Awards has held 4 iKON Activate initiatives across Africa including Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, with South Africa and the United Kingdom in the pipeline. The focus is to advance collaboration for skills development.

The inaugural iKON Activate in Nigeria culminated in iKON signing a Memorandum of Understanding with veteran Ugandan actor Michael Wawuyo Sr. to star in the forthcoming Nigerian drama Dambe. iKON also launched a new Uganda–Kenya co‑production under the O3plus project, supported by Reach A Hand Uganda, Imara TV, and UNESCO.

iKON Activates are pre-events that set the motion for the Awards night. Filmmakers across Africa will join the 4th edition of the iKON Awards on August 15, at Serena Hotel, Kampala.