As African cinema is taking centre stage at festivals around the world, filmmakers and curators reflect on the future of the film industry and creativity on the continent.
“It is always a pleasure to show my African films around the world,” Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako told RFI.
The Oscar-Nominated director was in London, where his latest film Black Tea, closed the Film Africa festival in London this month, opening discussions on how African stories are perceived globally.
From 25 October to 3 November, the festival showcased over 70 films from 25 African countries, coinciding with Black History Month. Organised by the Royal African Society, it celebrates the richness of African storytelling.
“This is a great time for African cinema,” said Keith Shiri, the festival’s lead curator adding that African filmmakers no longer rely on foreign resources or perspectives.
Born in Zimbabwe, Shiri has worked in Johannesburg, in Nigeria and with the Africa Centre and the British Film Institute (BFI) in London for years, travelling to all parts of Africa.
“What matters is representing all parts of the continent, from east to west, from Sub-Saharan to North Africa.”
Shiri selected films from 25 countries to reflect the diversity of African creativity.
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Events showcasing African films this autumn
In Lomé, Togo, the Emergence Films Festival (2-6 November) featured a Night of African Series. Kigali hosted the Mashariki African Film Festival (2-9 November), spotlighting innovative storytelling and director-led discussions. In Lagos, Nigeria, the African International Film Festival (AFRIFF) ran from 3 to 9 November under the theme “From Local to Global: From Cultural Wealth to Global Prosperity.” France’s Lumières d’Afrique festival (2-10 November) in Besançon, featured 35 films and honoured the victims of the Rwandan genocide, marking its 30th anniversary. Cairo’s International Film Festival (13-22 November), the oldest recognised festival in Africa and the Middle East, includes features from Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, Morocco and Algeria.
Smaller events, such as Bristol’s Afrika Eye (9-16 November) and Hamburg’s African Film Festival (7-17 November), further emphasise the growing global appetite for African films.
Upcoming events in Marrakesh, New York, Nantes and Bordeaux will continue to spotlight the continent’s cinematic talent.
Worldly views
Sissako’s Black Tea follows a young woman’s transformative journey from West Africa to China, offering a unique lens on African experiences.
“What I see in Europe sometimes is a lack of curiosity for contemporary African narratives,” he said. “My goal is to make African stories travel – not just in Europe, but more widely within Africa.”
Shiri echoed this, highlighting the importance of festivals like Fespaco in Burkina Faso, a hub for African filmmakers, producers, and distributors.
“What we need are more opportunities, supported by national and regional policies, to help African films reach wider audiences,” said Sissako.
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Bright prospects
A 2022 Unesco report noted significant growth in African film production, but stressed the need for investment in infrastructure.
Earlier this year, African cinema gained global attention when Franco-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop won the Berlinale’s Golden Bear with her documentary Dahomey.
Sissako was also invited to Berlin for Black Tea, almost 10 years after his last film, Timbuktu, competed for the Palme d’Or in Cannes, swept France’s Cesar Awards and was nominated for an Oscar in 2015 in what was then the best foreign language film category.
Actors like Idris Elba have long been vocal about his deep-rooted connection to the continent.
The Golden Globe-winning British actor, born in London to a Sierra Leonean father and a Ghanaian mother, impersonated Mandela in Long Walk to Freedom and starred in many Africa films like the shot-in-Ghana Beasts of No Nation.
Speaking at the Africa Cinema Summit in Accra last month, Elba said he plans to spend more time in Africa – telling African stories from “home” – in places such as Accra, Freetown and Zanzibar.
He said he intended to “bolster the film industry” not from overseas but “in-country, on the continent”.
“I’m going to try and go where they’re telling stories – that’s really important,” he added.
