Author: Tambay A. Obenson

Celebrated Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck will be honored at the 56th Visions du Réel festival in Switzerland this April, featuring a retrospective of his four-decade career and the Swiss premiere of his latest work, the South African-focused documentary “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found.” From his early explorations of Haiti’s political traumas to his investigations of […]

As Sundance 2025 prepares to open on January 23, I thought I’d take a look at the recent history of African narratives (features primarily) programmed at the festival, specifically during this century. The presence of African stories at Sundance has evolved, paralleling broader developments in African screen industries. As industry professionals gain increasing visibility on […]

This year marks the centennial of the birth of Paulin Soumanou Vieyra (1925-1987), a filmmaker, critic, and historian who played a pioneering role in the emergence and global recognition of African cinema. On the occasion of this 100th anniversary, a series of commemorative events, including film screenings, exhibitions, and academic conferences, are scheduled to take […]

As part of my commitment to providing comprehensive yet discerning coverage of Africa’s diverse and complex screen landscapes, I periodically analyze my own reporting to uncover country focus gaps as well as potential industry trends that might not be immediately apparent. Having conducted a first such analysis just after Q1 2024, this second examination includes […]

The Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) has announced the official selection for its 29th edition, scheduled for February 22 through March 1, 2025, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The lineup includes 17 features competing for the Étalon de Yennenga (the festival’s top prize), 15 feature documentaries, 34 shorts, and broad sections for animation, […]

A prominent French-Burkinabè film journalist, critic, distributor, speaker, and staunch advocate for African filmmaking worldwide, Claire Diao’s extensive background in promoting African films and filmmakers both within the continent and internationally, is renowned. As founder of the traveling screening series “Quartiers Lointains,” creating the Pan-African film criticism magazine Awotele, and launching sales and distribution company […]

Adrien James Prince de Capistran, affectionately known as “Uncle Didine,” was a pioneering Gabonese actor who passed away on January 5, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of storytelling. Establishing his screen career in the early 1980s, Prince de Capistran became a defining figure in Gabonese cinema and television, contributing to films and iconic television series […]

In a year that saw Idris Elba secure land allocation for a film studio in Zanzibar, announce plans for a “smart city” in Sierra Leone, and Kenya’s $284 million agreement with South Korea for a Digital Media City, joining other ambitious infrastructural projects like Rwanda’s Kigali Innovation City, Ghana’s Hope City, and Egypt’s Knowledge City, […]

For January 2025, access thoughtful and comprehensive insights into African film, TV, and digital ecosystems—trusted by media professionals worldwide: filmmakers, producers, distributors, programmers, curators, festival directors, scholars, financiers, and more. Join a global subscriber base spanning North & South America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. You will receive a daily email newsletter that may include: – […]

Many who have worked within African screen industries across Africa have long recognized the challenges of building sustainable sectors, even as 2024 seemed to bring these realities to wider attention. Certainly, subscribers to my platform, Akoroko Premium, would already be familiar. The sobering truth is that what exists is a vastly uneven, fragmented landscape spread […]