Category: The Latest

In a year that saw Idris Elba secure land allocation for a film studio in Zanzibar, announce plans for a “smart city” in Sierra Leone, and Kenya’s $284 million agreement with South Korea for a Digital Media City, joining other ambitious infrastructural projects like Rwanda’s Kigali Innovation City, Ghana’s Hope City, and Egypt’s Knowledge City, […]

For January 2025, access thoughtful and comprehensive insights into African film, TV, and digital ecosystems—trusted by media professionals worldwide: filmmakers, producers, distributors, programmers, curators, festival directors, scholars, financiers, and more. Join a global subscriber base spanning North & South America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. You will receive a daily email newsletter that may include: – […]

Excerpts from the 1994 documentary “Sembène: The Making of African Cinema,” directed by Manthia Diawara and Ngugi Wa Thiong’o. It captures a 1993 conversation between Senegalese African cinema pioneer Ousmane Sembène and African American filmmaker John Singleton—on the heels of his critically acclaimed feature film debut “Boyz n the Hood” (1991). The meeting of minds […]

I’ve been reflecting on the obsession with “firsts.” It’s a concept embedded in global culture. “The first person to do this,” “the first organization to achieve that,” etc. Now imagine how many African “firsts” still lie ahead for African film and television, both at local and international levels, especially with global interest at seemingly unprecedented […]

Newly disclosed figures detail Netflix’s $220 million investment in key African markets (South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya) between 2021 and 2024—double the average annual spending from 2016 to 2022, with South Africa the primary beneficiary. Meanwhile, Netflix execs Larry Tanz (VP of Content for EMEA) and Ben Amadasun (VP of Content for the Middle East and […]

As 2024 draws to a close, the international film festival circuit provides a distinct lens through which one can examine the stories shaping global perceptions of Africa and her cinema. Films screened this year inform us of how African stories are being developed, financed, and presented to audiences around the world. To be sure, these […]

There’s an undeniable buzz around African creativity right now. This increased attention brings with it a surge of activity and a flood of announcements that promise to “reshape,” “revolutionize,” or “redefine” the landscape of African filmmaking. Each announcement claims to be more “groundbreaking” than the last; each promises to be the key that will unlock […]

This is part of an ongoing series of year-end analyses on Africa’s uneven film and television environments, exclusively available to Akoroko Premium subscribers. In this installment, I explore how traditional definitions of a “film industry” are being reshaped across the continent. From MultiChoice’s sobering financial report describing “the most challenging operating conditions in almost 40 […]

In the Academy’s shortlist announcements for the 97th Academy Awards today, two African narratives advanced in major categories. Mati Diop’s “Dahomey” is shortlisted in both Documentary Feature Film and International Feature Film (as Senegal’s entry), while Belgian filmmaker Johan Grimonprez’s “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” advances in Documentary Feature Film. This continues momentum from the […]

North Africa’s longest-running film festival, the Carthage Film Festival (Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage/JCC), is currently celebrating its 35th edition, which began on December 14 and runs through December 21, 2024, in Tunis, Tunisia. Founded in 1966 as a pioneering platform for African and Arab cinema, Carthage remains steadfast in its mission to champion regional storytelling, […]