The Pan-Atlantic University has announced a new collaboration with key players in Nigeria’s film industry aka Nollywood, to introduce a Gender Equity Film Award aimed at promoting balanced and inclusive portrayals of women in cinema.
The initiative, unveiled in a statement signed by Anuli Agina of the university’s Department of Media and Communication, and veteran filmmaker, Fidelis Duker, brings together the School of Media and Communication (SMC), the National Film and Video Censors Board and the Abuja International Film Festival.
According to the statement, the Best Gender Equity Film (GEF) category will debut at the 23rd edition of the Abuja International Film Festival, scheduled for October 2026 in Abuja. The award is designed to advance gender equality in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5, using cinema as a tool for social change.
The university said the initiative reflects a growing recognition that traditional advocacy approaches have not sufficiently addressed persistent gender disparities, despite global observances such as International Women’s Day.
It noted that the GEF category was conceived to move beyond symbolic gestures by encouraging films that offer nuanced and equitable representations of women across family, social, religious, educational and professional spheres, while challenging systemic discrimination.
Executive Director of the NFVCB, Shaibu Husseini, said the collaboration highlights the importance of stronger partnerships between academia, government and the creative industry, adding that it holds significant promise for the growth of Nigeria’s film sector.
Providing further insight into the award framework, Agina, an associate professor of media studies and initiator of the category, said the selection criteria would prioritise productions that shape perceptions of gender equity in “non-tokenistic, nuanced and developmental” ways.
Founder of the Abuja International Film Festival, Fidelis Duker, welcomed the development, describing it as consistent with the festival’s mission to deploy cinema as a tool for development.
The organisers said filmmakers from across Africa and beyond are invited to submit entries for consideration, noting that the partnership will also include industry training on equitable storytelling, as well as research and mentorship programmes to advance gender equity in film.
