After a five-year absence from Nigerian shores, the prestigious ‘Decasia’ heritage film festival returns to Lagos this weekend, bringing together international partners in a renewed push to preserve Africa’s cinematic legacy.
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The four-day event, running July 27-30 at the Nigerian Film Corporation‘s Ikoyi office, represents a major collaboration between Nigerian cultural institutions and leading German film archives. Partners include Berlin’s Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Arts, Frankfurt’s Deutsche Filminstitut and Filmmuseum, alongside academic institutions like Goethe University-Frankfurt and cultural exchange organisations DAAD and Goethe Institut.
Dr. Ali Nuhu, Managing Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation, positioned the festival as a critical intervention in cultural preservation, highlighting its role in addressing Nigeria’s audiovisual archiving challenges. The event targets filmmakers, historians, scholars, and cultural enthusiasts committed to rediscovering Africa’s cinematic heritage.
The festival’s programming reflects urgent contemporary concerns about digital preservation and cultural memory. Participants will experience rare archival film screenings alongside panel discussions examining preservation strategies, archiving challenges, and their connection to national development priorities.
Central to this year’s agenda is support for Nigeria’s draft National Film Archive Policy, with networking sessions designed to demonstrate how cultural memory shapes the country’s creative future. The festival aims to bridge academic research with practical industry applications through its partnership with the National Film Institute‘s Master’s programme in Film Culture and Archiving Studies at the University of Jos.
Nuhu stated the festival’s broader diplomatic and economic objectives, describing archival materials as “weapons for sustainable human existence and development.” The event seeks to raise awareness among government agencies and private sector stakeholders about audiovisual material protection and preservation imperatives.
The festival’s return follows a disrupted schedule since its 2019 Lagos debut, originally titled the “1st Berlin–Lagos Archival Film Festival.” The 2020 edition moved to Berlin with the theme “Reclaiming History, Unveiling Memory,” while subsequent years saw the event suspended.
This year’s restoration to Lagos showcases growing recognition of Nigeria’s position as a regional cultural hub, particularly given Nollywood’s continental influence. The festival organisers view the event as essential infrastructure for supporting the National Film, Video, and Sound Archive’s role as Nigeria’s primary audiovisual repository.
Beyond immediate cultural preservation goals, ‘Decasia’ 2025 promises to strengthen international linkages in film and cultural diplomacy while developing local capacity in archival management. The German partnership brings technical expertise in preservation practices that organisers hope will establish lasting institutional relationships.
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