Author: Tambay A. Obenson

Tracing the Eras of African Cinema (One Perspective): Painting with broad strokes to start, breaking down African cinema into distinct periods, we can begin to better understand its role in mirroring and shaping the continent’s cultural landscape. It’s more accurate to view these eras as broad trends rather than strict categories, each building upon and […]

Toronto International Film Festival Trailer Trailer: “The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos” | Agbajowo Collective | Nigeria/Germany/South Africa/USA | World Premiere This debut blends thriller elements with magical realism to critique unchecked urban development and forced evictions in Lagos, Africa’s largest city. Starring Temi Ami-Williams, the film is rooted in real events, specifically the violent […]

Yesterday at MIP Africa, Netflix’s VP of Content for the Middle East and Africa (Netflix Africa) Ben Amadasun, was on hand for an hour-long conversation with a packed house of eager listeners. During the talk, Amadasun said that African titles are very popular in the Caribbean: “From the data we see, there’s a lot of […]

Historically, I haven’t looked to the Venice Film Festival as much of a host for African stories. However, recent years have seen a notable increase which aligns with worldwide festival trends. The 81st Venice International Film Festival is already underway and ends September 7, 2024. It includes several African and diaspora narratives across its various […]

The Museum Rietberg in Zürich, Switzerland, is hosting an exhibition titled “In Dialogue with Benin – Art, Colonialism and Restitution” from August 23, 2024, to February 16, 2025. The exhibition explores the intricate history and artistic heritage of the Kingdom of Benin, located in what is now Edo State, in southern Nigeria. It comes amid […]

Tracing the Influences Behind African Cinema’s Pioneers, from Ousmane Sembène to Safi Faye, and others. When discussing the history of film, conversations often revolve primarily around the influences and philosophies of European, American, and occasionally Asian filmmakers. Names like Godard, Truffaut, and Resnais from the French New Wave; Bergman, Fellini, and Antonioni from European art […]

It’s a belief that has become a self-fulfilling prophecy, limiting investment, distribution, and ultimately, the exposure of African cinema to global audiences. However, this assertion needs critical examination and reframing. To be sure, there is some truth to the belief that African films have struggled to achieve broad international commercial success. But this very surface-level […]

This is the result of a compilation of weekly data released by Netflix over seven months, from January 1 to August 4, 2024, tracking its weekly reports to construct a comprehensive view of how African and diaspora productions performed on the global platform during this time. It’s important to note that these rankings and viewership […]