From rarely seen silent films to the latest hip hop hits, the London African Film Festival is a celebration of African cinema that brings together 40 great and ground-breaking films as well as ten of the continents' most exciting filmmakers to discuss their work and the future of African film. Spanning decades and genres, and including rare archival cinema and mould-breaking experimental film, the London African Film Festival introduces new talent emerging from the continent and its diaspora, and celebrates classics by some of Africa's most renowned filmmakers.

The London African Film Festival 2008 is a partnership between Africa at the Pictures and the Royal African Society in association with the School of Oriental and African Studies. The festival is sponsored by Miles Morland and supported by the National Lottery through the UK Film Council and Film London Regional Investment Fund for England with additional funding from the Commonwealth Foundation and the Centre for African Studies.

Africa at the Pictures exists to strengthen the exhibition of African cinema to the general public and to promote the same with a view to its reaching a wider audience. It has organized numerous events and festivals on African cinema, including'Filming Against the Odds', a conference on African cinema (1991, BFI Southbank), the African Women Film Makers Seminar (1993, BFI Southbank), and the'Digital Africa' workshop at Channel 4. All events are supported by screenings at various venues across London.