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The Kingdom Film Festival (KFF) Pre-Summit made its debut outside the shores of Nigeria at a landmark 2-day event held at Africa Creative Market, Lusaka, Zambia from June 29 to July 2, 2026.
This marks KFF’s three years of partnership with Africa Creative Market and the first time hosting the Pre-Summit outside Nigeria, host of the 3rd edition.
According to the Kingdom Film Festival’s convener, Ewomaoghene Luther-Abegunde, the move to Zambia was not just to host an event, but also to create a pipeline of distribution between creatives in Zambia and Nigeria.
“Our coming to Zambia was about cultural exchange and integration. It’s about Africans building a thriving creative ecosystem from within, without waiting for the global stage to give us a seat at the table,” she stated.
With the theme: ‘Rebirth: Awakening the Consciousness of God’s Kingdom Through Films And Storytelling’, the event convened Christian filmmakers and creatives for strategy, funding, and market access conversations.
The dialogue was led by industry leaders including Father of Film in Zambia, Lawrence Thompson, alongside Martina Mwanza, Chris Puta, Berry Lwanda, Juliet Ibrahim, Kola Oshalusi and Tope Sanni.
Topics ranged from funding and creative technologies to positioning festivals as pipelines that sustain the industry in Zambia. It was a clear call to awaken greatness in Zambian creatives.
In her keynote address, Luther-Abegunde noted that despite Zambia being 97% Christian, the country does not yet have a strong catalogue of Christian films to show the world.
“That season is over,” she declared. “This is a call to action for creatives to begin creating those stories.”
Deal Room & Virtual Market
The second day of the event had its focus on market access. Top distributors from Nigeria met with Zambian film producers for live pitch sessions aimed at getting Zambian films into the Nigerian creative market.
Over 20 film producers submitted projects, as veteran filmmaker Femi Odugbemi delivered the keynote address during the virtual market session. In attendance were major distribution houses including Nile Distribution, FilmOne, Tribe Nation, Silverbird Film Distribution, and premier Christian streaming platform, Faithstream.
The Pre-Summit ended on a good note – the launch of Kingdom Film Festival Creators NEX Zambia Hub – a dedicated space for learning, promotion, opportunities, growth and development for creatives in Zambia.
Awards & Recognitions
There were honours and recognitions for key industry champions. Visionary Impact & Access Award was presented to Africa No Filter in recognition of its bold innovation, transformative grants, and unwavering commitment to opening doors for African creatives.
Also, Legacy & Excellence Award was presented to Lawrence Thompson for his “visionary leadership and outstanding contribution to the growth and global impact of the Zambia film industry.”
Martina Mwanza won Pioneer Host & Impact Award in recognition of her “bold leadership as host of Zambia’s biggest film festival and for empowering creators through film.”
Commendations
Commending the work, Mr. Kangwa Chileshe, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth, Sport & Arts, Zambia, described KFF’s intervention as “great work” and expressed eagerness to attend the main festival.
Meanwhile, the main edition of Kingdom Film Festival will hold from November 25-27 in Lagos, Nigeria.
