Final Cut: New African Shorts

Locarno’s Open Doors and Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur join forces to launch Final Cut: New African Shorts, a new curated platform dedicated to outstanding short film projects from across the African continent. The initiative aims to give promising new works early international visibility and connect African filmmakers with key representatives of the international short film industry.

Under the guiding theme «Most Anticipated African Shorts for 2027», four selected filmmakers will each have 15 minutes to present their work. One project will be selected to take part in SFC | Rendez-vous Industry in Cannes, which will be announced during the Industry Awards Ceremony.

Selected projects 

«Chair That Listens»
Tesfa Maryam Dargai Molla
Ethiopia
Documentary

«Mia»
Morgane Razafinony
Madagascar
Fiction

«Suka Naayo»
Jam Abdoulaye Sall
Mauritania, Senegal
Fiction

«Tooth»
Dika Ofoma
Nigeria
Fiction

Moderator

Sarah Schiesser, Deputy Head of Open Doors, Locarno Film Festival (CH)

Sarah comes from a background in political, social, and media studies, which she merges with her interest in cultural and artistic practices. She works as Deputy Head of Open Doors at the Locarno Film Festival, a generative space for filmmakers from under-represented regions. Until 2028, the programme is dedicated to 42 countries of the African continent. Since 2022, she has collaborated with production companies in Switzerland, developing and producing short and feature films across genres.