The Actors Guild of Nigeria Kaduna State Chapter is marking International Actors Day 2026 with a full programme of professional development activities tied to the ongoing 9th edition of the Kaduna International Film Festival, which runs from 25th to 29th August 2026 under the theme Cultural Renaissance.
International Actors Day is observed on 26th August each year as an important occasion to celebrate actors, recognise their contributions, promote their welfare and professional development, strengthen unity within the acting community, and highlight the immense cultural and economic value of the motion picture industry. For the Kaduna chapter, the day is not just a celebration. It is a working session.
The programme includes five main activities. The first is a series of EU film screenings featuring international cinema supported by the Embassies of Belgium, Portugal, Mexico, and Poland, giving participants direct exposure to global filmmaking approaches and storytelling traditions from outside the African context.
The second is a panel session on The Business of Filmmaking, covering film financing, distribution, streaming platforms, and international opportunities for Nigerian actors and filmmakers looking to expand their reach beyond the domestic market.
The third and arguably most anticipated activity is an acting masterclass with Francis Duru, a veteran Nigerian actor, filmmaker, and producer with over three decades in Nollywood since his debut in the early 1990s, born on 27th July 1969 and trained at the University of Port Harcourt where he earned a BSc in Theatre Arts in 1996. He gained early prominence through roles in Amaka Igwe's Rattlesnake and has since built one of the most respected acting resumes in the industry, later serving as interim chairman of the AGN Abuja Chapter in 2009 and contributing to the guild's national Bylaws Committee in 2024. His masterclass, titled The Art of Becoming the Character, will focus on emotional intelligence, character development, and authentic screen performance.
The fourth activity is an interactive session with government officials, foreign officials, and development partners, creating a direct line of engagement between working actors and the institutional stakeholders who shape opportunities within the creative economy.
The fifth is a panel session on Preserving Indigenous Languages Through Cinema, exploring why language matters in storytelling, how cinema can serve as a vehicle for cultural preservation, and how indigenous stories can be packaged to reach global audiences without losing their identity.
The Kaduna International Film Festival, founded in 2018 by Audu Israel Kashim, CEO of Ezzykash Media Concept, is the first international film festival in Northern Nigeria. Its 9th edition has attracted selections from Uganda, India, Germany, Egypt, Italy, and Austria alongside Nigerian productions, with categories including Feature Film, Short Film, Animation, Documentary, Student Film, Experimental Film, and Indigenous Film. The AGN Kaduna chapter's decision to anchor its International Actors Day activities within the festival reflects a deliberate effort to place professional capacity building at the centre of what is often treated as a ceremonial occasion.
The announcement was signed by Toka McBaror, Chairman of the Actors Guild of Nigeria Kaduna State Chapter.
