15th Annual Silicon Valley African Film Festival Celebrates Stories of Africa

Two historic theaters in San Jose played host this year to one of the Bay Area’s buzziest cultural events: the Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF). Opening night on October 11 was held at the recently restored Hoover Theater in the Rose Garden neighborhood, while the closing ceremony was hosted by the beautiful Montgomery Theater on October 13. Both venues did justice to what is fast becoming a pillar of the Bay Area’s film festival lineup. 

Now in its 15th year, the festival has become a cultural destination event, drawing award-winning international filmmakers, foreign dignitaries, Hollywood celebrities and film enthusiasts. Notable attendees at this year’s festival included San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, California State Assemblymember Ash Kalra, and the four winners of the festival’s 2024 Cultural Icon Award: Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cisse, Nigerian actor and producer Richard Mofe-Damijo, South African Director and playwright Dr. John Kani and award-winning US filmmaker Professor Julie Dash. These VIPs joined the audience of cinephiles to help SVAFF elevate and embrace the rich stories of Africa.