Prefer to listen? This newsletter is now available in audio format—an AI-generated version of my voice. (10 minutes) In 2019, when Karine Barclais launched Pavillon Afriques at the Marché du Film—the official industry market of the Cannes Film Festival—she was not an insider in the film world, nor did she have a background in African cinema. What she […]
Author: Tambay A. Obenson
Cannes 2025 Begins: From an African Perspective, What I’m Watching, and What Last Year Taught Us
Cannes 2025 is now underway, with African and diaspora titles gaining visibility across Competition, Un Certain Regard, La Cinef, and the Shorts program. But beyond the red carpet: – Who’s funding these films, and who owns them after – What platforms like Pavillon Afriques, AfroCannes, and African House are building – Whether African delegations are […]
The Patience of Sissako: On Crafting BLACK TEA, and What Comes Next
Prefer to listen? This newsletter is now available in AI-generated audio format (12 minutes) It’s been more than a decade since Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako last released a film. His 2014 feature “Timbuktu” was widely celebrated for its quiet power and political precision, earning an Oscar nomination and solidifying his place as one of Africa’s most respected […]
The Patience of Abderrahmane Sissako: On Crafting Black Tea and What Comes Next
Scoop: In my interview this week with Abderrahmane Sissako, he revealed that his next film will be a black-and-white adaptation of David Diop’s celebrated 2018 novel “At Night All Blood Is Black.” OmarSy acquired the rights and asked him to direct. “Nobody expects that from me,” he said. “That’s why I have to do it.” […]
NollywoodWeek at 12, and the Shifting Shape of African Cinema in Paris
Prefer to listen? This newsletter is now available in AI-generated audio format (9 minutes) When Serge Noukoué and Nadira Shakur launched NollywoodWeek in 2013, they weren’t chasing trends. They were filling a void. Shakur, originally from Washington, D.C., is an African American who has lived in France and across Africa. Noukoué was born and raised in […]
News Brief: Senegal’s State Film Fund Publishes Long-Awaited 2023 Results
Senegal’s national film fund FOPICA has released results from its 2023 funding cycle: – 49 projects selected. 1.2 billion FCFA (~ $2.1 million) awarded. It’s the most detailed accounting in years, covering feature films, shorts, docs, series, festivals, and training programs. But the bigger story is about reliability. Akoroko looks at what this round might […]
Nigeria’s New $500M Creative Economy Fund—Who It’s Actually For (Clarity)
Nigeria’s new Creative Economy Development Fund (CEDF) is now open—but it’s not what most creative workers likely think. For most filmmakers, musicians, designers, and writers working independently, this won’t finance your next project, if that’s what you’re hoping for. This is formal, investment-style funding. It’s designed for a small, structurally and fiscally organized segment of […]
“Sinners,” “Saloum,” Horror, Visibility, and the Stories That Travel
“Sinners” landed across African theaters with a coordinated push. “Saloum” had festival acclaim, genre storytelling, and commercial appeal, but traveled a harder road. Both films root horror in real histories, real geographies, and real memories. This isn’t about competition, but connecting them across a shared struggle. Not a fight between films; a cross-continental conversation about […]
One Year of Akoroko Premium: What We’ve Built
The official first anniversary of Akoroko Premium is TODAY—April 28, 2025. This wouldn’t exist without those who continue to subscribe, kept reading, suggesting, questioning, sticking around, and even those who canceled, particularly those who canceled and came back! Akoroko itself launched in April 2022. Two years later, in April 2024, the subscription, Akoroko Premium, went live. One […]
Funding African Stories at Cannes: An Akoroko / ASI Report
Produced through African Screen Intelligence (ASI), this new report tracks the financing behind every African narrative selected for Cannes 2025—across Competition, Un Certain Regard, Directors’ Fortnight, and ACID. It includes: – Disclosed budgets where available – Estimated ranges where needed – Source tracking across grants, co-productions, broadcasters, and post-production funds – More… This is part […]