Portal:African cinema
In 2016, Rosine Mbakam directed her first feature film, a creative documentary titled The Two Faces of a Bamiléké Woman, (Les deux visages d'une femme Bamiléké) . The 76-minute film is a personal documentary in which the director focuses on her return to her native country with her French husband and their son, seven years after she left. The film is built by a series of conversations mainly between Mbakam and her mother on varied subjects connected to family, gender, and also politics. The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) and Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) are among the sixty-plus film festivals at which the movie was screened.
In her subsequent work, Chez Jolie Coiffure (2018) she continued to document the immigrant experience, focusing on the lives of African immigrants in Europe. In her 2021 documentary called Les prières de Delphine (Delphine’s Prayers), she portrays Delphine, a young Cameroonian woman who has been caught in sex work in Cameroon. This earned her the Cinéma du réel Young Jury Award in 2021. In 2023, Mbakam released her first narrative feature, Mambar Pierrette, centered on a talented seamstress and single mother in Douala which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.
AMAA is currently accepting submissions for feature, film shorts, animation, and documentary work for consideration in nearly 30 film categories on the occasion of its 20th edition awards show later this year.
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The Africa Film Academy, the organizers of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) has opened a call for submissions ahead of its 20th edition. Submissions end in April, 2024.
Real Estate Sisters, Netflix’s South African comedy premiered on the country’s Freedom Day, April 27, and two days ahead of its general elections. Produced by Zoe Ramushu, the series features Galaletsang Koffman and Leera Mthethwa as sister real estate business partners aiming to go upmarket from the township of Atteridgeville to the suburb Waterkloof.
Bob Hearts Abishola (stylized as BOB ❤️ ABISHOLA) an American television sitcom is having its series finale May 17 after 5 seasons. The show was conceived by producer Chuck Lorre who was inspired to showcase the lives and contributions of immigrants in the United States. His co-creator includes British Nigerian comedian and actress Gina Yashere and stars Billy Gardell and Folake Olowofoyeku as the respective titular characters, in addition to Shola Adewusi, Barry Shabaka, Bayo Akinfemi, Anthony Okungbowa, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, and Yashere in supporting roles.
Seven films from African filmmakers were selected to screen at the 77th edition of the Cannes Festival taking place May 14-25. These include works by Somalian-born Mo Harawe (The Village Next to Paradise), Egyptian filmmakers Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir (The Brink of Dreams), French-Moroccan screenwriter, director, and producer, Hamich Benlarbi (La Mer Au Loin/ Across the Sea), French-Algerian filmmaker Emma Benestan (Animale), Zambian-Welsh director and screenwriter Rungano Nyoni (On Becoming a Guinea Fowl), Egyptian artist and film director Hala Elkoussy (East Noon), and Franco-Moroccan director, Nabil Ayouch (Everybody Loves Touda).
This Year’s Cannes Film Festival includes a number of African Jury Members for its various sections:French-Senegalese filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré (Un Certain Regard), Moroccan filmmaker and producer Asmae El Moudir (Un Certain Regard), Belgian-Moroccan actress Lubna Azabal (Cinéfondation and Short Films Competition), Belgian-Congolese singer and filmmaker Baloji (Caméra d'Or), Dyana Gaye, French-Senegalese filmmaker (L'Œil d'Or), and Eliane Umuhire,Rwandan actress (Critics’ Week),
The biopic of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters and starring Joke Silva, Kehinde Bankole, and is set to premiere in Nigerian cinemas nationwide on May 17. The film chronicles the life of the Nigerian educator, political campaigner, suffragist, and women's rights activist and the mother of the Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti.
The film was listed as the Nigerian entry for Best Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards and its accolades include nominations for Best International Film at the Independent Spirit Awards and Outstanding International Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards in addition to three wins at the 2023 FESPACO festival including for best cinematography and set design. Cast members include Evelyne Ily Juhen, Uzoamaka Aniunoh, Kelechi Udegbe and Emeka Amakeze. The film received praise for its cinematography, depth of narration and the infusion of folklore with socio-political commentary. It holds a perfect 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Rafiki, a 2018 Kenyan film directed by Wanuri Kahiu was banned by the Kenya Film Classification Board due to its portrayal of homosexuality, which is illegal in Kenya. Kahiu refused to change the ending of the film as requested by the board, necessitating the ban. This stirred international outrage from LGBT rights supporters. Kahiu sued the government which resulted in a temporary lift of the ban by the Kenyan High Court, allowing the film to be screened for a limited time.
A significant milestone was achieved with the nomination of two African documentaries at the 2024 Academy awards: Les Filles d'Olfa (2023) by Kaouther Ben Hania from Tunisia, and Bobi Wine: The People's President (2022), co-directed by Ugandan filmmaker Moses Bwayo.
The historical drama Algerian film Chronicle of the Years of Fire by director Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina won the Palme d'Or at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival and to this day, is the only Arab and African film to win the award, the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It depicts the Algerian War of Independence as seen through the eyes of a peasant.
Robert Anengo (b. April 22, 1986) is a Kenyan actor and casting director who is best known for his role in the TV series, Kona. He featured in Chiwetel Ejiofor’s critically acclaimed film, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2020) which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. He earned a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 2020 AMAA Awards for his role in 40 Sticks (2020).
Gaston Kaboré (b. 23 April 1956) is a Burkinabe director and important figure in the Burkina Faso film industry. In 1997, he was awarded an Etalon d’Or at the Pan-African Festival of Cinema and Television of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) for Buud Yam, a historical film drawing on African oral tradition. The film’s sequel, Wênd Kûuni won the 1985 César Award for best Francophone film. An advocate for strengthening capacity in the African audiovisual industry, in 2003 he founded the Imagine Institute based in Ouagadougou, a training school for film and television professionals.
Souleymane Cissé (b. April 21 1940) is a Malian film director regarded as one Africa’s most influential filmmakers.. His films explore themes of tradition, modernity, and the clash between rural and urban life in Africa. His 1987 film, Yeelen based on a legend told by the Bambara people, which has been called “conceivably the greatest African film ever made”, won the Jury Prize at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first African film to win a prize in the festival's history. His other notable productions include Baara (1978), Waati (1995) and Tell Me Who You Are (2009).
Kagiso Lediga (b. May 6, 1978) is a South African comedian, actor and filmmaker who first came to fame for his television comedies such as The Pure Monate Show and the Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola. He made his first feature film, Matwetwe, a coming-of-age drama and the romantic comedy, Catching Feeling, the first South African film to stream globally on Netflx. Lediga’s next project was the Netflix crime drama series Queen Sono about a secret agent secret South African clandestine agent who tackles criminal operations while dealing with crises in her personal life.
Mildred Okwo (b. 29 April, 1966) is a Nigerian film director and producer. Her filmography includes 30 Days (2016), The Meeting (2012) Suru L’ere (2016) and La Femme Anjola (2019) an African neo-noir crime thriller and most recent film. The film earned her her fourth AMVCA nomination, this time for best picture. She is also co-founder of the Nigerian Oscars Selection Committee which screens Nigerian films to be submitted for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy awards.
"We all know what Nollywood is supposed to represent — it’s the VHS films that were made back in the day. So, to still be called Nollywood, for me, is a no. We need to use terms like African filmmakers or Nigerian filmmakers"
Mo Abudu, Owner of Ebonylife TV
The musical score composed by Tunisian, Amine Bouhafa was described as haunting and evocative and perfectly complemented the themes of cultural suppression and human resilience, earning widespread acclaim for its emotional depth and cultural authenticity as the film score incorporated traditional Malian instruments and melodies.
Timbuktu went on to win seven awards at the 40th César Awards, including Best Film Score, making Bouhafa one of the Cesar’s youngest winners. His work on Timbuktu also won him the FESPACO prize and the France Musique-Sacem prize for film music. Among Timbuktu’s numerous other nominations and awards include Best Film at the 11th Africa Movie Academy Awards where it distinguished itself with the most wins.
It premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and began streaming on Netflix in March 2019. It was submitted as the British entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards but was not nominated.
