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The Zanzibar International Film Festival, or ZIFF, is one of the island's established arts events, dating from the late 1990s, but Zanzibar has a long habit of performance and storytelling: in taarab music, in Swahili poetry and in the theatre of the old town. ZIFF brings film into that tradition. For a visitor it is a chance to see African films that rarely reach a cinema in Europe or North America, in the company of the people who make and watch them. It is also a festival that sits close to the island's other cultural calendar, so a visit can be planned alongside the music and the old town. For the music, → Sauti za Busara covers the island's other major festival.
The story
Founding and name. The festival is described as a non-governmental, non-profit organisation working to develop and promote film and cultural industries. Sources disagree on the founding year: one reference work gives 1997, while the festival's own website describes the organisation as founded in 1998. The festival's name, the Festival of the Dhow Countries, celebrates centuries of exchange between the Indian Ocean and East Africa, which the dhow symbolises. The awards carry the same image: the Golden Dhow and the Silver Dhow.
Focus on African filmmakers. The festival puts African filmmakers first, including diaspora filmmakers, and presents film alongside music, arts and community programming. It is often described as one of the largest multidisciplinary arts festivals in Africa.
Where it happens. Screenings take place in Stone Town and in rural village venues, so that films reach audiences beyond the old town. The festival's own description puts the programme across nine streams in twelve venues. For a visitor, the old town is the easiest base, because most of the central events are a short walk from the hotels.
Length and timing. The official site describes the festival as lasting nine days in Stone Town, with activity before and after each edition. The 2026 programme ran over five days, from opening day on 24 June to the shorts and drama marathon on 28 June. The 2025 edition ran from 25 to 29 June, and a tourism listing gives "June or July" for the festival's timing.
What the 2026 programme held. The festival's own 2026 page used the title "Zanzibar in Frames: A Story of Film, Culture & African Light". Press reports publicised the edition under the theme "AI and the Art of Storytelling" and reported 65 films. Its programme included a creative documentary day, a children's animation strand, shorts and drama series marathons, a mobile cinema, and an outdoor dhow race at Serena Beach, alongside panels on AI and filmmaking and networking events. Treat this as a snapshot of 2026, not a promise for the next edition.
Key facts
What: the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), Festival of the Dhow Countries. Where: Stone Town and village venues. Focus: African film, with African and diaspora filmmakers at the centre. Founded: 1997 or 1998 (sources differ). Recent edition: 24 to 28 June 2026. Timing: usually late June in recent years, varying by year. Awards: Golden Dhow and Silver Dhow.
How to experience it
The programme comes first. Films, dates and venues change each year, so pick your days from the official programme on the festival site.
Passes and tickets. Watch ziff.or.tz from around April for the programme, and book Stone Town rooms early for festival week. Pick the opening night and one marathon day in advance. Passes come from the festival itself, so confirm the method on ziff.or.tz before you travel, and do not buy from a street seller.
Stay in Stone Town. The old town is the centre of the festival and of the island's evening life. Most central events and the late-evening crowd are within walking distance of the hotels. → Best hotels in Stone Town compares the options.
Village screenings. If a programme includes a village screening, your guide can explain the journey; agree the return transfer before you go. Dress modestly, as → the dress code guide explains, and follow the lead of the audience on behaviour and photographs.
Respect the audience and the filmmakers. Photograph people in the audience or at a screening only with permission, and do not record films. Filmmakers often attend in person, and a question at the end of a screening, asked politely, is part of the experience.
Why it matters to how we travel
ZIFF shows a side of the island that is easy to miss: a place where African filmmakers tell their own stories, to audiences who are part of the island's cultural life. Nobu's travel designers can plan a festival week around a slower Stone Town rhythm, with time for the films and the evenings. A festival week or screening can be arranged for your dates case by case, agreed with you directly. Nobu does not sell festival passes on the festival's behalf unless that arrangement has been confirmed.
Right for you if you are already in Stone Town in late June, you are a film student or filmmaker, or you want African stories on a big screen and are happy to plan around a published programme. It may not be if you want Hollywood premieres, a beach base or fixed dates every year. If music is your main draw, Sauti za Busara, held in February, is the better fit.
Journeys to consider
- Shores of Zanzibar — the island journey, with evenings in Stone Town. → Explore
- Stone Town, the east coast and Mnemba — ten nights — the longer version, with room to plan around a festival week. → Explore
