DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 22 -- THERE are some evenings that pass like polite dinner guests. They knock gently, compliment the curtains and leave before the tea goes cold.

And then there are evenings that arrive in a convoy. With lights. With lenses. With cologne that announces itself before its owner does.

The Tanzania Film Festival and Awards, mercifully abbreviated to TaFFA, belongs to the second category.

Launched in 2021 by the Bodi ya Filamu Tanzania, TaFFA began life as what many assumed would be a worthy cultural footnote.

A nice idea. A ceremonial handshake for the industry. A polite clap in a modest hall.

Instead, it has grown teeth. And lighting rigs.

Last Sunday, beneath the vast ceiling of the Super Dome in Masaki, Dar es Sal...