Author: Tambay A. Obenson

The Césars are France’s national film awards, often compared to the American Academy Awards (Oscars), recognizing achievements in French cinema. Among the nominees this year are two feature films that center African stories and talent. Akoroko Premium subscribers received a newsletter on the nominations, along with recent historical context on African/diaspora engagements with the César […]

Kitale Film Week, entering its third year in 2025, is not just a film festival—it’s the foundation for a transformative vision to turn Kitale, the Western Kenyan town, into a creative hub for African storytelling. Founded in 2023 by Peter Pages Bwire, the initiative celebrates underrepresented voices, nurtures local talent, and promotes a new culture […]

Sundance Film Festival Reviews of African Films Selected…there weren’t that many. The documentary form’s increasing presence in the African context is worth highlighting, as seen in Sundance’s 2025 selections. “How to Build a Library” examines the present-day transformation of a colonial institution in Kenya, while “Khartoum” captures the first-hand experiences of Sudan’s ongoing conflict. In the NEXT […]

The European Union (EU) has announced financial support of over 195 million CFA francs (~$310,000) for the upcoming 29th edition of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), scheduled for February 22 to March 1, 2025. EU Ambassador Daniel Aristi Gaztelumendi made the announcement during a January 20 meeting with Burkina Faso’s Minister […]

The official trailer for “Hanami,” the debut feature by Swiss-Cape Verdean filmmaker Denise Fernandes, is here, along with distribution news. It’s one of approximately 60 titles captured in the Akoroko newsletter, “Tracking 2022-2024 African Films With *Major* Festival Exposure Without Distribution,” last updated on January 6, 2025. Subscribe at the link to receive the entire list—which […]

Deadline reports (today, January 24, 2025) that Netflix has appointed Kaye-Ann Williams as its new Director of Scripted Content for Africa. This newly created role will oversee local productions and African original films and series. Williams joins after a stint as Head of Scripted Series and Movies at Netflix’s competitor, Amazon Prime Video/Amazon Studios, where […]

Paramount’s “Children of Blood and Bone” brings together key African and Hollywood film elements: In a new Akoroko Premium newsletter, I consider Paramount’s big-screen adaptation of “Children of Blood and Bone” as a potential case study for how the Hollywood behemoth might engage with African stories, talent, and production during a period of seemingly heightened […]

Public allegiance to Netflix’s Top 10 rankings can at times be confounding—particularly in the African context. Too often, we point to “#1 in [Country X]” as if it’s a definitive sign of quality or genuine audience enthusiasm. These charts get quoted as if they were ironclad proof that a title truly resonated with audiences. Yet the […]

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 […]