This is part of an ongoing series of year-end analyses on Africa’s uneven film and television environments, exclusively available to Akoroko Premium subscribers.
In this installment, I explore how traditional definitions of a “film industry” are being reshaped across the continent. From MultiChoice’s sobering financial report describing “the most challenging operating conditions in almost 40 years” to ambitious new developments like Nile Entertainment Group’s 1,000-screen expansion plan in Nigeria, the landscape is evolving in ways that are not always expected.
The piece considers key developments: major streaming shifts as platforms like Amazon Prime Video exit while local services emerge; unprecedented funding announcements including Afreximbank’s $500 million creative industries program; and new approaches to measuring industry evolution across different African territories.
Particularly curious is how various regions are finding solutions to exhibition challenges, from traditional multiplexes to community and micro-cinema models.
Framed through Ghanaian Scottish architect Lesley Lokko’s concept of Africa as a “Laboratory of the Future,” the analysis suggests that, as of the end of 2024, the African film and TV landscape isn’t merely reacting to global trends—it’s actively shaping them, even if unknowingly.
As the legendary Djibril Diop Mambéty once said, “It is good for the future of cinema that Africa exists.”
To read the full in-depth newsletter and understand how Africa’s diverse screen sectors are redefining what a “film industry” can be in 2024 and beyond, subscribe at the link: https://akoroko.com/subscribe/