“Freedom Way,” the feature debut from Nigerian filmmaker Afolabi Olalekan, from a script penned by Blessing Uzzi, who also produces, is making its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Discovery section. It’s a multifaceted exploration of corruption and socioeconomic challenges in contemporary Lagos. The film intertwines several storylines centered around a rideshare app startup called […]
Author: Tambay A. Obenson
African Film Financing Case Studies: Insights from the MIP Africa Financing Forum
I hosted a session on African film financing during the third edition of FAME Week / MIP Africa last week in Cape Town, South Africa. Titled “Bridging the Gap: Financing Africa’s Creative Future,” it brought together experts from various sectors of filmmaking and finance to explore the landscape of film financing within the continent, although […]
Film Reviews and Interviews from Venice and Toronto
Venice and Toronto Reviews: More film reviews from Venice and Toronto received by subscribers with more on the way… For the full reviews and interviews, please subscribe here: https://akoroko.com/subscribe/ [I also interviewed the filmmaker collective behind the film] Subscribe at the link: https://akoroko.com/subscribe/
Tracing the Eras of African Cinema (One Perspective)
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: “The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos”
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 […]
How Have Netflix’s Top 2024 African and Diaspora Original Releases Performed? (Part 2)
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 […]
Venice 2024: Increasing Spotlight on African Narratives
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 […]
Benin Dialogues: Short Docs Explore Art, Restitution, and Museum Culture
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 […]
Who/What Inspired Ousmane Sembène? Djibril Diop Mambéty? Safi Faye? Ola Balogun? Youssef Chahine? Med Hondo? Tracing the Influences Behind African Cinema’s Pioneers
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 […]
Debunking the “African Films Don’t Sell” Myth
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 […]