African films often remain mostly unseen by American audiences, primarily due to a lack of U.S. distribution. This includes titles acclaimed at the so-called Big 5 Film Festivals (Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Venice, and Toronto), considered the most prestigious and influential platforms for showcasing and promoting independent and international cinema.
The U.S., being one of the largest film markets, can significantly boost a film’s visibility. However, African films face challenges in securing distribution, often due to misconceptions about their marketability. By tracking the films that premiered at these festivals in 2022 and 2023 but remain undistributed in the U.S., we aim to advocate for their broader releases and visibility and to inspire efforts to bring these diverse narratives to American screens.
We’ll add to the list as needed (with Venice and Toronto 2023 still ahead), and continue tracking each film until acquisition.
Berlinale 2022
– “Father’s Day,” Kivu Ruhorahoza, Rwanda
– “No U-Turn,” Ike Nnaebue, Nigeria, South Africa
– “We, Students!” (Nous, Étudiants!), Rafiki Fariala, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Cannes 2022
– “Father & Soldier” (“Tirailleurs”), Mathieu Vadepied, France, Senegal
– “Harka,” Lotfy Nathan, Tunisia
– “Hommage d’une fille à son père” (“A Daughter’s Tribute to Her Father: Souleymane Cissé”), Fatou Cissé, Mali
Venice 2022
– “Queens,” Yasmine Benkiran, Morocco
– “The Last Queen” (“La dernière reine”), Adila Bendimerad, Damien Ounouri, Algeria, France
– “The Damned Don’t Cry” (“Les damnés ne pleurent pas”), Fyzal Boulifa France, Belgium, Morocco
Toronto 2022
– “The Umbrella Men,” John Barker, South Africa
– “Free Money,” Sam Soko, Lauren DeFilippo, Kenya
– “Shimoni,” Angela Wanjiku Wamai, Kenya
Sundance 2023
– “Animalia,” Sofia Alaoui, Morocco
– “Girl,” Adura Onashile, Nigeria, UK
– “Milisuthando,” Milisuthando Bongela, South Africa
– “Bravo, Burkina!,” Walé Oyéjidé, Nigeria
Berlinale 2023
– “All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White,” Babatunde Apalowo, Nigeria
– “A Golden Life” (“Or de vie”), Boubacar Sangaré, Burkina Faso, Benin
– “The Cemetery of Cinema” (“Au cimetière de la pellicule”), Thierno Souleymane Diallo, Senegal, Guinea
Cannes 2023
– “Banel & Adama” (“Banel et Adama”), Ramata-Toulaye Sy, Senegal, Mali
– “Goodbye Julia,” Mohamed Kordofani, Sudan, Egypt
– “Hounds,” (“Les Meutes”), Kamal Lazraq, Morocco
– “The Mother of All Lies” (“Kadib Abyad”), Asmae El Moudir, Morocco, Egypt
– “Déserts,” Faouzi Bensaïdi, Morocco
– “Mambar Pierrette,” Rosine Mbakam, Cameroon
– “Nome,” Sana Na N’hada, Guinea-Bissau, Angola
– “Machtat,” Sonia Ben Slama, Tunisia
We’ll add to the list as needed, and continue tracking each film until acquisition.
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