Managing director and CEO of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), Ali Nuhu, has announced the return of the heritage film festival Decasia to Lagos for its 2025 edition, scheduled to hold from July 27 to 30.
Dr Nuhu made this known in a statement released by NFC’s director of public affairs, Brian Etuk, on Thursday in Abuja.
According to the statement, the upcoming edition of Decasia will be held at the Lagos office of the NFC in Ikoyi, with a parallel event also scheduled to take place in Berlin, Germany.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the festival is being organised in collaboration with the Lagos Film Society and several German institutions, including Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art (Berlin), Deutsche Filminstitut & Filmmuseum (Frankfurt), Goethe University Frankfurt, DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and Goethe-Institut.
Speaking on the significance of the event, Nuhu said the heritage film festival will serve as a landmark gathering of filmmakers, archivists, historians, scholars and culture enthusiasts, all dedicated to the rediscovery, preservation and creative re-imagination of Africa’s cinematic heritage.
He assured participants of an enriching experience, stating: “The exciting moment include the screenings of rare archival films, panel discussions woven around strategies, archiving, preservation challenges and national development in support of the draft National Film Archive Policy.”
The 51-year-old added that the festival would feature networking sessions “designed to spotlight the importance of cultural memory in shaping Nigeria’s creative future.”
He further said, “Objectives of Decasia is to sustain global conversations, including the impact of digital technologies, as well as the relationship between archives and film festivals.
“Decasia provides a veritable platform to harness great creative opportunities inherent in archival materials, as weapons for sustainable human existence and development.
“It also provides public platform and supporting linkages between the National Film Video and Sound Archive (NFVSA) as a national audio-visual repository.
“It provides Master Degree Programme in Film Culture & Archiving Studies of the National Film Institute (NFI) and the University of Jos, as well as audio-visual content creators and the general public.”
He stressed the importance of engaging government ministries, departments and agencies, as well as private sector stakeholders and content creators, on the “imperatives of audio-visual material usage, protection, preservation and archiving.”
“With the NFVSA as Nigeria’s audio-visual repository, efforts by the NFC to foster constructive engagements and affirmative actions through collaborative partnerships underscores the mounting of Decasia 2025,” he added.
Dr Nuhu said the festival’s impact on Nigeria’s film industry will include stronger cultural heritage protection, enhanced linkages with international stakeholders, capacity development in archival management and promotion of film and cultural diplomacy.
The first edition of Decasia took place in Lagos in October 2019 under the title “1st Berlin–Lagos Archival Film Festival,” while the 2020 edition was held in Berlin and themed “Reclaiming History, Unveiling Memory.”
The 2025 event marks Decasia’s return to Nigeria’s commercial capital and cultural hub, aligning with other recent efforts to preserve and celebrate Africa’s cinematic legacy. The festival is expected to feature rare archival screenings, scholarly conversations, and cultural exchanges that bridge past and present through film.
