Artists and professionals from the film and media industry from different parts of Africa gathered in Kigali for the official launch of the iKON Awards activities, which for the first time will also recognize filmmakers working in Rwanda.
The event took place at Kigali Paramount Hotel during an activity dubbed iKON Activate Kigali, held on Friday, December 12, 2025.
This marks the fourth iKON Activate event held in 2025, following similar events in Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda, with Rwanda being the latest host.
iKON Activate is a pre-event leading up to the main iKON Awards night. Its purpose is to prepare and energize the awards season, while bringing together film and media industry stakeholders to discuss collaboration, investment, and the development of Africa’s film industry.
The iKON Awards 2026 will be presented under the theme “Beyond Borders”, aimed at showcasing African film talent and promoting cross-border collaboration between countries.
The Chief Executive Officer of iKON Awards, Humphrey Nabimanya, said Kigali was chosen because of its vision and growing development in the film industry.
He said, “We want to tell African stories through collaboration. Local film industries play a major role in presenting African narratives to the world, just as has happened in other major industries.”
He added, “Kigali is one of the places showing strong momentum in cinema in East Africa. It has powerful African stories, good infrastructure, and diverse locations that can be used for filming.”
iKON Activate provides a platform that connects filmmakers, government institutions, and private-sector players to work together through discussions aimed at increasing investment and collaboration in the film industry.
Previous events held in other countries have produced tangible results. During the first event in Nigeria, leading filmmakers from Nigeria and Uganda, film associations, and various partners came together. These included Uche Agbo (President of the Directors Guild of Nigeria), Patrick Lee of Viva Cinemas Nigeria, FDAN leaders, and actor and film director Ramsey Nouah.
As a result of this collaboration, iKON signed a partnership agreement with veteran Ugandan actor Michael Wawuyo Sr., who will appear in a new Nigerian film titled “Dambe”, directed by Ramsey Nouah and produced by Sauti Plus Media Hub.
In addition, iKON launched a new joint film project between Uganda and Kenya through the O3plus Project, supported by Reach A Hand Uganda, Imara TV, and UNESCO.
This film will focus on major challenges facing youth, including gender-based violence and teenage pregnancies.
The project reflects iKON’s vision of using cinema to give a voice to African stories and promote positive social change.
The iKON Awards are annual awards held in Uganda, aimed at recognizing and honoring talent, projects, and individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of film and media in Uganda and across Africa.
Introducing these awards in Rwanda for the first time is another important step that highlights the country’s growing role as a key hub for film development in Africa.
Ndayirukiye Fleury, popularly known as “The Legend,” founder of BahAfrica and spouse of renowned cinema figure Usanase Bahavu Jannet, told InyaRwanda that they are pleased the awards will be hosted in Rwanda and that they agreed to participate after confirming the awards meet their standards.
He said, “I had the opportunity to understand these awards and also met the awards director earlier, who explained how they operate — how filmmakers and films are selected, how contributors to film quality are recognized, the role of the jury, and more. We realized these are fair and unbiased awards, so we decided to participate if our film meets the requirements.”
He added that they have produced films that will compete in major international festivals, and those are the same films they plan to submit for these awards. So far, 26 Rwandan films have already been submitted to compete in these international awards.
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