FOUNDER OF AFRIFF CHIOMA UDE SAYS SHE IS QUITTING NEXT YEAR.

The founder of the African Film Festival (AFRIFF) is considering quitting the prestigious Africa International Film Festival.

On a new episode of The Maverick, Ude spoke on the challenges that come with organizing the event which recently held its sixth edition.

She also revealed her plans to quit in 2018. She stated this while speaking on what people should look out for in AFRIFF.

“What you should look out for in AFRIFF? It's very sad, to me it’s very sad, because I’m losing grip of the festival," she said.

"It’s getting bigger than me and it really really showed this year. I had very little say in a lot of things. And I would say to them as a joke, but I was serious and they didn’t know, that I am going to quit next year.

“I’d call Chioma who was in charge of content and say ‘some filmmakers are calling me, their films are not... why didn’t you select these films.  She’ll say 'oh boss leave it alone, you won't understand, these are not festival films’. And that’s it, I’m thrown to the side and they’re doing what they are doing. So, I have a little grip on something I’m still holding on to very well, but the festival has really grown."

"I remember when I went to the Dubai International Film Festival in its fifth year and I remember when I went to it in its 10th year, I felt sad, because it's so much bigger.

“When a festival gets so big, then you end up in clusters unlike before when everybody could still be together. But it’s getting bigger for great reasons."

"One thing I am going to keep doing is that in the festival, I try to have these parties at night where everybody comes together. And for me it is to get everybody in one space to play, network, to network, to be together, and you know you form stronger bond when you do stuffs like that."