The Berlinale has appointed Sata Cissokho to oversee both the World Cinema Fund and the Toolbox Programme. She begins with Toolbox immediately while Vincenzo Bugno completes his 21-year leadership of the WCF by the end of 2025. The move brings two of the festival’s global initiatives—funding and training—under one leadership ahead of Berlin 2026. Fully […]
Author: Tambay A. Obenson
Canal+ and MultiChoice Unite to Form Africa’s Largest Media Group
Canal+ has completed its R35 billion acquisition of MultiChoice, marking the creation of a new pan-African media powerhouse that spans television, streaming, and broadband across more than 70 countries and over 40 million subscribers. A Landmark Merger On September 22, 2025, Canal+ finalized its takeover of MultiChoice, gaining 48.2 percent control after nearly two years […]
Egypt Launches State-Led Film Industry Reconstruction
Egypt is rebuilding its screen sector with the state as lead investor: – Modernization of Cairo’s Cinema City, Studio Nahhas & Studio Ahram– Renovation of Miami, Diana & Normandy cinemas– 4K restoration of 1960s–70s classics– New digital lab with Armed Forces Engineering Authority– It’s the most ambitious public investment in Arabic-language film since the mid-20th […]
First look: Teaser-trailer for “My Semba”
First look: teaser-trailer for “My Semba,” Hugo Salvaterra’s debut feature, produced by Luanda-based collective Geração 80. The film follows siblings Maria, Lelé, and X as they struggle to keep their family together in a contemporary African metropolis under economic strain. When the man who raised them falls gravely ill, they are forced to make choices […]
Return to the Source: Pan-African Film Residency in Namibia Links Cinema, Memory, and Healing
Writing about Return to the Source (RTS) has been a slow, deliberate process. The interviews began in April 2025, several months after the residency took place in Namibia in September 2024. The process of shaping this piece unfolded slowly, punctuated by false starts, shifts in structure, and long pauses to sit with what had been […]
Africa at the Oscars: Submissions for 2026
The race to the 98th Academy Awards has begun, and African countries are making their bids for Best International Feature Film. Morocco’s “Calle Málaga,” Egypt’s “Happy Birthday,” and Tunisia’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab” are among the early entries, each with strong festival runs and distinct political and cultural weight. Meanwhile, Tarik Saleh’s “Eagles of […]
Nile Entertainment × Action Xtreme: What This First-Look Deal Really Means
📅 Deal announced Sept 8: first-look partnership between Moses Babatope’s Nile (Nigeria) and Chee Keong Cheung’s Action Xtreme (UK). 🎬 First film: “Son of the Soil,” shot fully in Lagos, opens in Nigerian cinemas Oct 31 before festivals and streaming. 👥 Cast: Razaaq Adoti (“Amistad”), Ireti Doyle, Patience Ozokwo, Sunshine Rosman, Toyin Oshinaike. Produced with […]
AFRIFF Unveils Africa Film Content Market
Lagos will host the first Africa Film Content Market (Nov 3–6, 2025), a new platform for rights sales, co-production deals, and industry partnerships. September’s launch session, staged this week, laid out the basics: how markets work, what buyers expect, and why only a curated subset of Nigeria’s 1,000+ films per year can realistically travel. The […]
Africa at Toronto’s 50th TIFF — Creative, Structural, Market
📌 Features in Centrepiece: “Diya,” “Memory of Princess Mumbi,” “My Father’s Shadow”📌 Diaspora voices across Platform, Discovery, Special Presentations📌 TIFF Docs opens with “The Eyes of Ghana”📌 Shorts include Idris Elba’s “Dust to Dreams” and Will Niava’s “Jazz Infernal” 📌 Wavelengths installations from Wael Shawky (“Drama 1882,” Egypt) & Fredj Moussa (“Land of Barbar,” Tunisia)📌 […]
Funding African Stories at Venice 2025: Strategic Analysis
📌 20+ African films across all Venice sections — unprecedented selection by the festival. 📌 Budgets range widely: €200k–€5m. Most competition titles land in the €500k–€750k range. 📌 Major backers: Doha Film Institute (4 films), Red Sea Film Foundation (3+ films + Final Cut prizes), CNC, Eurimages. 📌 Morocco leveraged Focus Country status across Final […]