As Africa (broadly) enters what I believe is a new phase (still to be confirmed) of cinematic development and international recognition, the role of film criticism in this context becomes increasingly important.
By developing a more vigorous, intentional, contextualized approach to analyzing African films, African critics will play an important role in shaping the discourse around these films, both locally and internationally.
Moreover, this criticism should appreciate the unique characteristics of evolving African filmmaking identities, while also holding the filmmaking to high standards of storytelling and technical execution.
As the African cinema landscape continues to grow and diversify, so too must the critical framework used to understand and evaluate it.
[Last week, Akoroko Premium subscribers received the first in a series of assessments titled “Reframing African Film Criticism Amid Increased Global Exposure“]