The Académie des César has unveiled its preselection for the Best Short Film category at the 2026 ceremony. Among the standout entries are several French-African co-productions exploring themes of resistance, identity, and state violence. From Simon Panay’s Senegal-shot “L’Enfant à la Peau Blanche” to Mohamed Bourouissa’s deconstruction of police stops in “Généalogie de la Violence,” […]
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African Box Office 2025: A Measured View of the Continent’s Theatrical Revenue
This launches Akoroko’s year-end review series of reports analyzing 2025 in African screen sector (film, TV, digital media) activity. The first report breaks down the year in box office data, continent-wide. The reality is that there are only a handful of countries with weekly, monthly, or annual reporting; others are partial or irregular, and a […]
Marrakech’s Atlas Workshops 2025 Lineup With New Structure in Action
The Marrakech International Film Festival, held each year in Marrakech, Morocco, announced the 28 projects and films selected for the 8th edition of the Atlas Workshops, which will take place from November 30 to December 4 during the festival’s 22nd edition (November 28–December 6, 2025). The Marrakech International Film Festival is Morocco’s leading cinema event and one of Africa’s most visible platforms for global […]
Ghana Sets Two New Public Funds for Film and Creative Sectors in 2026, Totaling $6.3m
Ghana’s 2026 national budget sets two new funding lines for the creative and screen sectors: 20 million GHS (~USD 1.8m) for a Film Fund and another 20 million GHS for a Creative Arts Fund — 40 million GHS in total (~USD 3.6m). It’s the first time Ghana has attached real figures and a spending year […]
The Canal+ / MultiChoice Baseline: Content Direction, Production Hubs, and Market Structure After the Takeover
Canal+’s takeover of MultiChoice has created the largest media group operating in Africa — more than 40 million subscribers, nearly 70 countries, and a unified structure linking DStv, Showmax, Canal+ Afrique, myCanal, and GVA’s fibre network. Most early updates focused on ownership, leadership, and infrastructure. What had been missing was a content-level explanation of how […]
Sierra Leone Issues First Creative Economy Report, Joins Promising Continental Trend
Sierra Leone’s first Creative Economy Report captures the sector’s footprint: • 4.5% of GDP• More than 10% of formal jobs• Over 11,000 workers in fashion and textiles alone It also outlines the conditions creators operate in — micro-enterprises, weak copyright systems, limited finance, and very little production or training infrastructure. In the past 18 months, […]
Awards News: AFRICA AT THE EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS
The European Film Awards (EFAs) announced feature film nominations today in Seville, Spain. Context: The EFAs (5,400 voters, founded 1988) are Europe’s Oscars and a key awards precursor. Last year’s winner, ANATOMY OF A FALL, went on to 5 Oscar noms, including Best Picture, winning Best Original Screenplay. Africa-linked films in today’s announcement: – MY […]
Vertical Micro-Dramas Africa: Format Revolution or Model Repackaging?
Over the past few months, the phrase “vertical micro-dramas” has moved from scattered trade mentions to sustained coverage across major Hollywood trades like Variety, Deadline, and The Wrap, enough that it now sits in regular industry vocabulary. I’d been ignoring it until a reader, responding to my recent piece on Netflix’s Q3 earnings, suggested African creators should start “thinking seriously” […]
Mo Abudu’s Streaming Platform Goes Live: Nigeria’s New Streaming Wave
November 6, 2025 EbonyLife Group has officially launched EbonyLife ON Plus, the multi-vertical digital service developed by Mo Abudu. When I first covered the streaming platform in August, I wrote that it was “taking shape” with what I referred to as a measured approach. Available now via the App Store and Google Play, EbonyLife ON Plus offers users a mix of films, […]
XR, Archives, and New Funding Paths for African Storytelling
The French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), the cultural service of the French Embassy for South Africa, Lesotho, and Malawi, has launched Futures_Past: Amplifying Memory with Immersive Technologies in partnership with Electric South, the Cape Town–based organization implementing the project and overseeing artist support, production, and exhibitions. The two-year program connects artists with archives in […]