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The 76th Berlin International Film Festival closed today, February 22. With Sundance also behind us — two of the five major international film festivals now in the books for 2026 — this felt like a reasonable moment to take stock of where distribution and sales stand for the African and diaspora films that were in play across both markets. The Berlin slate was notable: a strong year across sections, including three African films in Competition — a record at that level. The deals, or the absence of them, tell a familiar story with some variations worth paying attention to. One title generated genuine multi-territory traction during the European Film Market (EFM) window. Several others entered the market with financing-embedded domestic arrangements already in place, but no international deals to announce.
