Participate / Submit

One country. Five films. One Pan-African stage.

Golden Arc Honors does not accept direct individual nominations or film submissions. Every official entry comes through a participating country's recognised National Selection Committee.

Open the Country Portal I'm a filmmaker

5: Official films per country — mandatory, not a maximum
0: Submission fee for a country's five official films
1 year: Release window before the submission deadline

A country that submits fewer than five eligible films, or fails the five-film requirement, is disqualified from the relevant awards cycle. The country does not buy a place among the five — each film earns its position.

For national bodies

The participation pathway.

From registration to the continental jury — every step is recorded for transparency and audit.

01
Country registration
The national coordinating body registers through the Country Portal: committee details, contacts, members and declarations.
02
Committee approved
Golden Arc Honors appoints its own representative to help the country establish its formally named National Selection Committee.
03
National call for entries
The committee publicises the call through television, radio, film associations, universities and industry bodies.
04
Screening & national judging
Eligibility screening, then national judging against the published Golden Arc Honors criteria.
05
Five official films
The committee selects exactly five eligible films and submits them online, with a signed and stamped country declaration.
06
Continental review
The Secretariat confirms completeness, technical compliance, eligibility and rights documentation.
07
Continental jury
Eligible films proceed to independent continental judging, nominees and the Grand Award Night.

Film eligibility

What makes a film eligible.

Release window: Released within the one-year period preceding the applicable submission deadline. Dates are communicated separately.
African production origin: Every film must be of African production origin. A connection through story, setting, subject or cast alone is not enough.
Completed & exhibited: Completed and publicly exhibited. Works in production are not eligible.
Running time: Short films: 40 minutes or less. Feature films: 60 minutes or more. Films of 41–59 minutes do not fall into any category and are not eligible.
Language: Any language, with English subtitles where required for judging.
Originality & rights: Original works that do not infringe copyright. Music, image, footage and performer permissions must be addressed.
Previous awards: Winning at other festivals does not make a film ineligible.
Multiple categories: A film may be considered for more than one category where it meets each category's rules.

Required for each film

Secure screening link
Official poster
High-resolution stills
Official trailer
Synopsis
Complete credits
Director biography & photograph
Principal cast information
Production company information
Rights & clearance declarations

These rules come from revised working drafts. Exact dates, technical specifications (formats, resolution, audio, file size and viewing links) and the definition of public release will be published before submissions open.

After the deadline, new or replacement films are not normally accepted. A country may send a formal written request to the Secretariat explaining the reason; the responsible authority decides and communicates the decision.

For filmmakers & producers

Submit through your country's national process.

Eligible filmmakers, producers, production companies and authorised rights holders take part through their own country's National Selection Committee. The person submitting must hold the legal authority to do so.

Once countries are confirmed, they will appear on the Countries page. Until then, join the announcements list to hear when national calls for entries open.

See the countries Emerging Filmmaker Challenge

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