{"id":230493,"date":"2026-03-17T14:25:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T13:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iffr.com\/en\/?p=230493"},"modified":"2026-03-17T14:25:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T13:25:36","slug":"blog-african-indies-a-continent-of-new-directions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iffr.com\/en\/blog-african-indies-a-continent-of-new-directions","title":{"rendered":"African Indies \u2013 A Continent of New Directions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

IFFR 2026 boasted an impressive number of African indie titles in the official selection \u2013 reflecting the continent\u2019s booming scene. The IFFR Pro Dialogue: African Indies \u2013 A Continent of New Directions<\/a> industry panel brought together four filmmakers and producers to discuss the industry they’re building. Under the guidance of moderator and IFFR programmer Lyse Nsengiyumva, Jorge Cohen (Angola), Nolitha Mkulisi (South Africa), Mamadou Dia (Senegal), and Sue-Ellen Chitunya (Zimbabwe\/US) ventured into deep reflection on the compelling new models arising from this wave of indie cinema.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Beyond authenticity: redefining the terms<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nsengiyumva opened the panel by presenting the much-used concept of the \u201cauthentic voice\u201d \u2013 which revealed a deceptively tricky pattern the filmmakers encounter regularly. The pushback is not against authenticity itself, but rather against it as a limiting category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am very cautious of the word authentic because we are the only filmmakers being asked to be authentic. You don’t ask a French filmmaker to be authentic,\u201d Mamadou Dia, director of Nafi’s Father\u00a0<\/strong>(2019) and Coumba <\/strong>(CineMart x HBF project in development 2026), observed. \u201cKids want to make sci-fi\u2026 allow us to exist in every way we want to.” A claim to the full spectrum of cinema.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI am very cautious of the word authentic because we are the only filmmakers being asked to be authentic.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Nolitha Mkulisi, director of Let Them Be Seen<\/strong>, reframed the conversation, borrowing from playwright Lorraine Hansberry: \u201cI would use the word \u2018specificity\u2019 over \u2018authenticity\u2019.\u201d The alternative shifts from the burden of representing an entire country or continent, to the freedom to tell one story, deeply and truthfully. She made her experimental debut for under \u20ac1,000, working with her editor for four years to achieve something precise and personal. \u201cI was able to be very specific about what I wanted to make and say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Film still: Let Them Be Seen<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can get to your 30s in Angola without seeing an Angolan film,” Jorge Cohen, director of Meu Semba<\/strong> (Tiger Competition), explained how filmmakers presenting some of the first international films from their countries, there\u2019s both opportunity and responsibility. That shouldn\u2019t limit range \u2013 it should expand what\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Navigating co-production strategies<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The conversation around international co-production demonstrated how the filmmakers are thinking strategically about when to collaborate and when to maintain control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cohen raised a critical question with My Father\u2019s Shadow<\/strong>, the acclaimed Nigerian film that competed for the Oscars as a UK entry. \u201cWho owns the IP of the film? That was quite tragic in a way.\u201d The conversation underlined the importance of understanding what you\u2019re trading in international co-productions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sue-Ellen Chitunya, producer of God Sleeps on Sundays<\/strong>, was candid about the trade-offs. \u201cThere\u2019s a certain identity of the film that you lose\u201d when cultural nuance gets lost in translation. This growing awareness is creating new strategic approaches \u2013 valuing IP, negotiating derivative rights, bringing in lawyers early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inventing new production models<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What emerged most powerfully was how filmmakers are turning constraints into creative production models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe all know everyone in movies, so it becomes like a collective, almost like crafting.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Cohen described Angola\u2019s approach as \u201cvery personal. We all know everyone in movies, so it becomes like a collective, almost like crafting.\u201d With wit, he rebranded low-budget, local productions as \u201cecological productions\u201d \u2013 local crews, owned equipment, minimal travel. \u201cI want to do the film with the most resources I can get at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Film still: God Sleeps on Sundays<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chitunya relayed how she has been actively building infrastructure while making films. On her Zimbabwe shoot, she trained department heads during production. She\u2019s consulting with the Uganda government on film support systems. \u201cWe are who we need,\u201d she said, \u201cand we need to do the work instead of looking outside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe are who we need and we need to do the work instead of looking outside.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Dia explained how he writes films \u201cfor community first,\u201d  touring Senegal with open-air screenings \u2013 building audiences while making work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conversation revealed several examples of sustainable models that prioritise local connection over international validation. The call was clear: more South-South collaboration, Pan-African knowledge-sharing, government partnerships as the path ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Film still: Meu Semba<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dia cut to the core issue: \u201cI don’t think our main challenge now is making movies\u2026 it’s distribution.\u201d The films exist. They’re being made with ingenuity and specificity. But when one cinema serves a million people instead of eight thousand, even the best film can’t find its audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cohen’s vision for the future was grounded in the shared experience of cinema: “Cinema needs to be a tool to engage people, to engage communities, to change perspectives.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Africa\u2019s indie boom seems to only be getting started, with filmmaking communities writing the rules for their own trajectory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

by Roxy Merrell<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\t

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A list with articles<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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