Filmmaker Onyinye Blessing has announced that her film "Stay" has been officially selected to screen at the Africa International Film Festival. She shared the news in a Facebook post, alongside a notification from FilmFreeway confirming the selection for the 15th edition of AFRIFF, which holds from November 1 to 7, 2026.
"Stay" is written, edited and directed by Onyinye Blessing, who also served as the film's drone pilot. The film stars Lorenzo Menakaya and Eberechukwu Nwodi in the lead roles. B.Labelmedia Productions is the executive producer, with Onyinye Blessing and Chukwuebuka Okonkwo serving as producers.
In her post, Onyinye Blessing described the selection as the result of a long process that began as an idea and grew through months of work with her cast and crew. "A film is never just the work of one person," she wrote. "It is the result of people who decide to believe in something that doesn't exist yet, and then give their talent, time, energy and heart to bring it to life." She thanked her team for staying committed to the project through its challenges and adjustments.
The crew on "Stay" includes Chiamaka Nwachukwu on makeup, Chukwuebuka Okonkwo and Ikpo Chukwuma as directors of photography, Ejiofor Matthew as gaffer, Joseph Nnabuike Daniel as sound recordist, and Ilebaye Maryann as assistant director. Modizak Media, Onowu Pixel and Rex AJC made up the behind-the-scenes team.
AFRIFF selects its official entries from submissions reviewed by its selection committee and programming team, with this year's selections announced in October ahead of the festival's November run in Nigeria.
