Author: Tambay A. Obenson

Haile Gerima’s 2021 assertion that the current generation of African filmmakers must reflect on a continent that has “lost its mind” could be read as a provocative starting point for contemplating Africa’s colonial legacy. The statement, maybe jarring at first, begins to resonate when we consider the continent as an entity that has endured over […]

On November 29, 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron for the first time publicly recognized the Thiaroye massacre as such – the killing of West African soldiers by French forces at a military camp near Dakar, Senegal, on December 1, 1944. The timing is key: Macron’s statement arrived on the eve of the massacre’s 80th anniversary […]

The post-COVID years have brought a spike in African screen industry funding announcements, with 2024 alone seeing roughly $1.2 billion (likely more) pledged through development bank programs, government initiatives, and private equity funds. While these figures are promising, the gap between announcements and actual deployed capital remains a critical issue. To address this, I’ve started […]

The histories of individual African cinema cultures remain largely undocumented, even in written form, often overshadowed by broad “African film history” texts and occasional specialized focus academic studies, which rarely reach general audiences. This makes Timothy Niwamanya’s “A History of Film in Uganda” especially valuable as a visual record capturing a specific national film history […]

The 2025 edition of FESPACO (Festival Panafricain du Cinéma et de la Télévision de Ouagadougou), February 22 to March 1, could be its most pivotal yet; certainly of the 21st century. Festival organizers have announced that Souleymane Cissé (Mali) will serve as jury president, with Judy Kibinge (Kenya) heading the documentary jury. New initiatives include […]

This inaugural report, which I received last week, titled “Côte d’Ivoire Cinema Box Office Number 1 – November 2024” (translated from French), provides extensive data from 2019-2024. It offers a comprehensive view of the country’s cinema market structure, audience preferences, and industry evolution. At 19 pages, it’s a fascinating study with much to analyze and […]

My recent travels across the continent—from Cape Town (South Africa) to Lagos (Nigeria), Kigali (Rwanda), and now Nairobi (Kenya) where I currently sit—have placed me in an endlessly contemplative state about the continent’s film ecosystems. These journeys have inspired various conversations, thoughts, and ideas that I’ve been thinking through publicly via Akoroko Premium newsletters to […]

US studio A24 has unveiled the first trailer for Rungano Nyoni’s “On Becoming A Guinea Fowl,” with a new theatrical release date set for March 7, 2025. The haunting family drama, which earned Nyoni the Best Director prize at Cannes 2024, arrives with momentum, following Picturehouse Entertainment’s acquisition of UK-Ireland distribution rights. Initially slated for […]

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 […]