The multi-year award will allow Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) top brass to develop its African Pictures programme and showcase emerging talent from the continent.

“Thanks to the Academy’s significant support of our African Pictures programme SIFF will be able to dig deep across the African continent and greatly expand on our previous efforts in the region that we have been working on for several years,” said SIFF artistic director Carl Spence [pictured].

African films that have received North American premieres in Seattle include Tey, Otelo Burning and Spud.