The 33rd edition of the New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) is once again placing African storytelling at the centre of global cinema, with South African productions emerging as standout entries during this year’s showcase at Film at Lincoln Centre.
Among the most anticipated titles is The Heart Is a Muscle, directed by Imran Hamdulay and starring award-winning actor Keenan Arrison. The film has its New York premiere on Monday after a major international breakthrough when it won the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.
The film, in English and Afrikaans with English subtitles, was also South Africa’s official submission for the 2026 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category and will be presented in New York in partnership with the podcast and website Africa Is a Country.
Set in Cape Town’s Cape Flats, the drama follows Ryan, a father whose life begins to unravel after his young son briefly disappears during a birthday gathering. His panicked reaction quickly spirals into violence and emotional reckoning, forcing him to confront unresolved trauma, masculinity and cycles of anger embedded within his community.
“It’s really important that we need to start looking at the other side of toxic masculinity, because it’s there, especially with our past,” said Arrison. “As people of colour, we hear the negative side of masculinity, but we don’t have control of it. What we want to do with this film is change the trend, mindset and language of what toxic masculinity looks like, especially as fathers — and most importantly, for the next generation of men.”
The Heart Is a Muscle has been widely praised for balancing intimate family drama with hip-hop culture, resonating strongly with international audiences drawn to stories rooted in lived experience. Arrison, who also serves as a producer on the project, will participate in a Q&A session after Monday evening’s screening.
Arrison, Sean Jacobs (founder of Africa Is a Country) and filmmaker and actress Xoliswa Sithole were among the South Africans at Wednesday’s NYAFF opening night premiere of Erige Sehiri’s Promised Sky, a bittersweet drama following an Ivorian pastor living in Tunisia, which opened the 2025 Cannes Un Certain Regard programme.
A film festival industry meeting was held on Friday, chaired by the South African consul-general, Simon Cardy. Trailers of South African films, along with movies and documentary trailers from the African continent, were screened.
This year’s NYAFF features more than 100 films across multiple venues in the city through May, highlighting filmmakers from across Africa and the diaspora. Since launching in 1993, the festival has become an important gateway for African cinema into the North American market while fostering broader conversations around identity, politics and representation.
