Jali Collective has announced the opening and closing films and a major focus programme for the second edition of Jali Film Weekender, taking place across Edinburgh from 28 October – 1 November 2026.
Scottish Premieres of Venice titles Dear Ajayi and House of the Wind will open and close the second Jali Film Weekender, alongside a special retrospective of acclaimed Angolan film collective Geração 8.
Returning to Filmhouse and expanding into additional Edinburgh venues, the now five-day festival will once again celebrate and platform Black, African and diaspora stories through a programme spanning film and Extended Reality (XR), alongside filmmaker conversations, talks and other events.
Learn more about this year's programme on the Jali Collective website.
Following its inaugural edition in 2025, Jali Film Weekender continues its mission to widen access to African and diasporic cinema in Scotland, bringing audiences together around bold, distinctive work from across the African continent and its global diaspora.
Last year’s festival established this emphasis on community and connection, creating space not only for representation, but for meaningful participation, exchange and cultural agency, with a particular ambition to build intentional relationships with Black, African and diaspora audiences in Edinburgh and Scotland.
Across four days, the inaugural Weekender presented eight features and 12 shorts, including 16 Scottish Premieres, two UK Premieres and one European Premiere, and welcomed nearly 700 admissions. It also hosted the first Scottish presentations of Kenyan VR and AR works at Filmhouse. Beyond screenings, the programme included a public discussion on centring Black, African and diaspora audiences in Scotland, workshops and interactive XR experiences.
Tomiwa Folorunso, Isabel Moura Mendes and Carmen Thompson, directors of Jali Collective, said: “We’re so excited to be bringing Jali Film Weekender back for a second year, and to once again showcase the work of brilliant filmmakers, actors and artists from across Africa and its diaspora.
"It feels really special to beopening and closing with two beautiful films arriving in Edinburgh from Venice, as well as celebrating the incredible work of Geração 80 and bringing more Angolan cinema to Scottish audiences. At the heart of Jali is creating a space for these films to be seen, celebrated and shared together. This is just the beginning of what we have planned, and we can’t wait to reveal the full programme later this month.”
More information
Image credits: Stills from Dear Ajayi, House of the Wind, and My Semba, courtesy of Jali Collective.