[NOTE: The list is partial (31 out of 200+ tracked projects). It will be updated and the page it’s on is being reconfigured/redesigned for a more efficient user experience, and will be placed behind a paywall so that only subscribers like yourself can access it]

The stage is set for the 77th Cannes Film Festival which is now just two weeks away. I regrettably will not be able to attend in person (it’s an expensive trip I don’t have the funds for). However, I am accredited press and will cover remotely from California where I’m currently based.

A month ago, I published a list of 31 upcoming films telling African stories from around the world, culled, based on select criteria, from Akoroko’s database of over 200 projects tracked at some stage of development, production, or post-production.

Five (5) of the 31 titles made the lineups of the festival’s official selection or one of the sidebars.

As the remaining 26 films approach completion (assuming some of them aren’t already completed as of today), they stand as potential candidates for 2024 premieres at any of the other so-called Big 5 film festivals – Sundance (already happened), Berlin (already happened), Cannes (already announced), Venice, and Toronto. There are countless other festivals of course. And many of them could be (will be) destinations for any of these films.

The List in No Particular Order

EVERYBODY LOVES TOUDA

Filmmaker: Nabil Ayouch
Country: Morocco
Synopsis: The film narrates the journey of a young poetess and singer, a Shaeirat, raising a deaf-mute son in a small Moroccan village. She moves to Casablanca seeking a better future, confronting various challenges. It delves into themes of art passion, struggles of a single mother with a special needs child, and aspirations in a conservative society.

POUSSIÈRE ROUGE (RED DUST)

Filmmaker: Moussa Touré
Country: Senegal
Synopsis: Set in Senegal, the story revolves around a community facing cultural and economic tensions with the arrival of a Chinese merchant.

FANON

Filmmaker: Jean-Claude Barny
Country: Tunisia (co-production)
Synopsis: A biographical film focusing on Frantz Fanon, a writer and psychiatrist known for his opposition to French colonization in Algeria and his contributions to psychiatry during the 1950s.

AFRICAN TITANICS

Filmmaker: Hajooj Kuka
Country: Sudan
Synopsis: Based on a novella, it’s a tragic comedy following the adventures of an Eritrean migrant, Abdar.

A QUARTER TO THURSDAY IN ALGIERS

Filmmaker: Sofia Dajma
Country: France, Algeria, Belgium
Synopsis: Goussam is pregnant and seeks a clandestine abortion, helped by friends, amidst personal and societal turmoil.

AKASHINGA

Filmmaker: Naishe Hassan Nyamubaya
Country: Zimbabwe, France, Germany
Synopsis: Two sisters’ lives clash when their area’s national park begins hiring only women.

COTTON QUEEN

Filmmaker: Suzannah Mirghani
Country: Sudan, Russia
Synopsis: A 15-year-old in a cotton-farming village faces a choice between arranged marriage or circumcision, altering the village’s future.

COURA + OULÈYE

Filmmaker: Iman Djionne
Country: Senegal
Synopsis: Explores the relationship between two young sisters from a polygamous family after their father’s death.

DOGMAS

Filmmaker: Salah Issaad
Country: Algeria, France
Synopsis: Brothers Farid and Salim, proud of their father’s war heroism, find themselves on opposite sides of Algeria’s political turmoil.

MATIGARI

Filmmaker: Balufu Bakupa Kanyinda
Country: Congo
Synopsis: Follows Matigari, a man with superhuman powers, on a quest for truth and justice in post-independence African society.

ROQIA

Filmmaker: Yanis Koussim
Country: Algeria, France, USA
Synopsis: In 1993, Ahmed becomes amnesic after a crash. Presently, a Muslim exorcist and his disciple confront fears and past evils.

THE LAST TEARS OF THE DECEASED

Filmmaker: Beza Hailu Lemma
Country: Ethiopia, Canada
Synopsis: A young Ethiopian orthodox priest, an insomniac with a fear of death, embarks on a dreamlike journey of inquisition.

WOLFMOTHER

Filmmaker: Ismael El Iraki
Country: France, Morocco
Synopsis: Amira Ouazzani, a cigarette smuggler, and her sons are drawn into a violent world after meeting a cannabis drug lord.

HAMLET FROM THE SLUMS

Filmmaker: Ahmed Fawzi Saleh
Country: Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
Synopsis: An 18-year-old from Cairo’s slums navigates life’s challenges as he loses himself in Sufi festivals.

AISHA CAN’T FLY AWAY ANYMORE

Filmmaker: Morad Mostafa
Country: Egypt
Synopsis: A Somali woman in Cairo discovers tensions within the African immigrant society while navigating personal and work challenges.

ABDELINHO

Filmmaker: Hicham Ayouch
Country: Morocco, France
Synopsis: Follows young Moroccan Abdelinho, obsessed with Brazil, whose world changes with the arrival of an ultra-conservative televangelist.

TESTAMENT

Filmmakers: Meena Nanji, Zippy Kimundu
Country: Kenya
Synopsis: Investigates British colonial atrocities in Kenya, transforming the protagonist into an advocate for justice and land resettlement.

MATABELELAND

Filmmaker: Nyasha Kadandara
Country: Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya
Synopsis: Chronicles the struggle of Chris, a migrant truck driver, between exploitation abroad and returning to his father’s killer’s country.

SWEET DISPOSITION

Filmmaker: Youssef Michraf
Country: Morocco
Synopsis: An orphaned teenager searches the streets of Casablanca for a man he believes to be his father, a high school principal who abandoned him.

ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL

Filmmaker: Rungano Nyoni
Country: Zambia
Synopsis: Details are closely guarded. Nyoni’s anticipated sophomore feature after the acclaimed I Am Not a Witch.

DAO

Filmmaker: Alain Gomis
Country: France, Senegal
Synopsis: Centers on Gloria, who reconciles with her history between ceremonies in Guinea-Bissau and Paris, finding peace.

MEURSAULT, COUNTER INVESTIGATION

Filmmaker: Malek Bensmaïl
Country: Algeria
Synopsis: Retells the story of Albert Camus’ THE STRANGER from the perspective of the “Nameless Arab’s” brother, set in 1996 Oran, Algeria.

CELUI QUI SOIGNA MUGANGA

Filmmaker: Marie-Hélène Roux
Country: France, DRC
Synopsis: Inspired by doctors Denis Mukwege and Guy-Bernard Cadière, the film depicts the struggle to treat women suffering sexual violence in Central Africa.

VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE

Filmmaker: Mo Harawe
Country: Somalia
Synopsis: Offers a portrait of family life in a Somalian desert village, focusing on Mamargade, a single father, his sister Araweelo, and his son Cigaal, as they navigate life’s complexities in a setting rarely depicted in global cinema.

L’HISTOIRE DE SOULEYMANE

Filmmaker: Boris Lojkine
Country: France, Guinea
Synopsis: Charts two days in the life of Souleymane, a Guinean delivery man, who prepares for his asylum interview by recounting a story that isn’t his own. The narrative explores themes of identity, migration, and storytelling.

THE NIGHT BEFORE EASTER

Filmmaker: Dagim Sisay
Country: Ethiopia
Synopsis: Specific details of the story remain under wraps. Received the EWIP Way Film Award at the European Work in Progress event in Cologne, Germany last year.

AÏCHA

Filmmaker: Mehdi M. Barsaoui
Country: Tunisia
Synopsis: After surviving a tragic accident, Aya reinvents her life in Tunis but becomes entangled in a police mishap as a key witness.

BARONNES

Filmmaker: Nabil Ben Yadir
Country: Morocco, Belgium
Synopsis: Classified as a dramatic comedy. Specific plot details remain undisclosed.

ENTRE-DEUX (JUMP BALL)

Filmmaker: Jonas d’Adesky
Country: Belgium, Rwanda
Synopsis: Lia, a mixed-race Rwandan woman, returns to Rwanda to play for the national basketball team, confronting her past and identity.

RED PATH (LES ENFANTS ROUGES)

Filmmaker: Lotfi Achour
Country: Tunisia
Synopsis: A dreamlike exploration of a young shepherd’s psyche as he grapples with the traumatic death of his cousin.

THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON

Filmmaker: Rani Massalha
Country: Egypt, Tunisia
Synopsis: Salem, a Copt and pig farmer, navigates challenges as swine flu psychosis grips Egypt.

Notes

Diverse Representation:

North Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt are heavily represented.
Sub-Saharan Africa: Senegal, Sudan, Ethiopia, Congo, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda.
Diaspora Voices: Filmmakers based in France, Belgium, the USA, and Canada, but who explore themes centered on African nations or experiences.

Range of Filmmakers:

Established Voices: Acclaimed directors like Nabil Ayouch (Morocco), Moussa Touré (Senegal), and Hicham Ayouch (Morocco)
Rising Talents: Newcomers like Iman Djionne (Senegal), Naishe Hassan Nyamubaya (Zimbabwe), and Rungano Nyoni (Zambia)
Women Directors: Sofia Djama, Suzannah Mirghani, Iman Djionne, Naishe Hassan Nyamubaya, Rungano Nyoni, and Marie-Helene Roux bring important female perspectives.

Themes:

Colonialism and its Legacy
Gender Issues
Social Challenges
Spirituality and the Supernatural
Personal Journeys

Potential African Stories at Cannes Film Festival (and Elsewhere) 2024