Author: Tambay A. Obenson

Afreximbank’s October 18 announcement of a doubled $2 billion commitment to African creative industries continues to reverberate across the continent, with filmmakers and other creative professionals voicing familiar frustrations. From its launch in 2020 with an initial commitment of $500 million, Afreximbank’s CANEX (Creative Africa Nexus) funding pool grew to $1 billion in 2022 and […]

I landed in Nairobi, Kenya a few hours ago, after a 90-minute flight from Kigali, Rwanda, where I spent all last week primarily participating in the Some Fine Day Pix / GIZ Moving Pictures film distribution initiative. I will be in Nairobi for the rest of the month, marking my fourth major African city visit […]

In vibrant Kigali, Rwanda, a convergence of creativity, innovation, and opportunity is set to take place. Masharket, the Kigali International Content Market, returns for its second edition from November 7th to 9th, 2024, alongside the 10-year-old Mashariki African Film Festival (MAFF). Building on the success of its inaugural event, Masharket 2024 looks to further establish […]

“The Cost of Media Stereotypes to Africa: The Relationship Between Media, Investment, and Economic Development” is a report produced by the non-profit “Africa No Filter,” and published in October 2024. The report investigates the economic impact of persistent negative stereotypes in global media coverage of Africa, specifically examining how biased reporting influences investor perceptions and […]

With Halloween just a few days away in the USA, where I am based, it’s a moment (sometimes a week, a month, or more for some) that many embrace with festivities that include costumes, candy, and communal frights. For me, it remains more of a spectacle observed than participated in. The Western concept of Halloween […]

The award-winning documentary chronicles the life and work of Ernest Cole, a Black South African photographer who covertly captured the country under apartheid, and smuggled his images out of the country to expose the oppressive system. The film, which won the L’Oeil d’or for best documentary at Cannes 2024, explores Cole’s impactful images and his […]

Malagasy filmmaker Luck Razanajaona’s feature debut DISCO AFRIKA: A MALAGASY STORY, will be distributed by Sudu Connexion in various theaters across Madagascar, starting November 1, 2024. Telling the story of a young man named Kwame working in Madagascar’s clandestine sapphire mines, the film’s release follows its success at the 2024 Berlinale, earning an Ag Kino-gilde-cinema […]

Netflix in Africa… an evolving story… Netflix’s Q3 2024 earnings report on October 17, and subsequent call, were certainly loved by the stock market given the reaction. You will find both the earnings report and the earnings call here. I scrutinized the earnings report and the call for insights into their Africa strategy. Co-CEOs Greg Peters […]

In a celebratory press email from Pyramide Distribution, French distributor of Cannes 2024 selection “L’Histoire de Souleymane” (Souleymane’s Story), the company reported that the film had approached USD 1 million in its opening week, with around 130,000 admissions across 250 screens in France. Directed by Boris Lojkine, “L’Histoire de Souleymane” follows Souleymane, a Guinean immigrant […]

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” ~ Audre Lorde The term “creative restlessness,” as I use it, encapsulates what I see as the defining trait of Nigerian filmmaker, playwright, and novelist Biyi Bándélé’s artistic journey. His death by suicide, recently revealed in The Guardian (UK) article […]