With Toronto wrapping up as the last of the “Big 5” festivals and the majority of film festivals behind us, it’s safe to say that, at this point in the year, we’ve seen the bulk of the films that the film world will be discussing for the remainder of this year and into early 2025. What collective portrait of Africa emerges from the films selected for these international festivals, and how do they depict the continent’s diversity, its individual countries’ challenges, and the experiences of African people both at home and abroad?
Furthermore, what do these films reveal about Africa’s perspectives on global issues, and what insights can international audiences gain from these African narratives?
My analysis (which includes a few graphical visualizations) is based on an assessment of around 25 films telling stories about Africans on the continent and elsewhere, selected to screen at “major” international film festivals in 2024, including Sundance, IFFR, Berlin, SXSW, Tribeca, Cannes, Karlovy Vary, Locarno, Venice, and Toronto. While a few films have certainly been overlooked, the selected titles represent the majority of African entries at these festivals combined.
However, though they span genres and styles, they do not encompass Africa’s vast and diverse stories and landscapes.
Notably, Akoroko has reviewed many of the films.
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