Is the African Film Industry Ready for its Global Moment?

While writer and director Karabo Lediga (Queen Sono, What Did You Dream?) agrees with the sentiment that it is time for African film to shine, she thinks that a stumbling block is that there is no room for independent voices.

“I think that is a funding question. We can’t always be dependent on multinationals or streamers to dictate what the cinematic voice of the continent is. They have money to make, and that’s an understandable thing, but we need to reach a balance where we’re able to make money and make films that can grow the market, and also grow filmmakers in the industry, so we can actually exhibit at film festivals like other countries.” Lediga adds that filmmakers are eager to tell stories that aren’t dictated by big businesses.

For director Mandla Dube (Silverton Siege, Heart of the Hunter), a major obstacle to Philiso’s claim is that, “Traditionally, [the film industry] hasn’t been seen as an industry at all, which is very unfortunate.” Dube adds that in South Africa, the industry has only now been realized by the Industrial Development Corporation (South Africa) who are now coming on board to fund projects.

But Dube is optimistic, as the industry is now getting recognized as a major player in the creative economy, and the value chain is opening up more, but governments need to do more, as they currently haven’t done enough.

Television writer Phathu Makwarela says that the lockdown necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic shaped global content consumption habits and presented an opportunity for African content.

“When the whole world was on lockdown, the only thing that had the globe in contact was film and TV content. But COVID lasted longer than we all assumed, and prescribed content ran out. This forced consumers to go out and seek content that they might not necessarily consume. This is what the African film industry had been waiting for, hence during [the pandemic], many African films found a global audience. What COVID also did was fast-track the streaming platforms all over the world,” he says.

In terms of reach, Lediga agrees that streaming platforms are the way to go. “I think getting your feature film licensed by a streamer is really great in terms of audiences. I know that there are a lot of people and businesses coming up with new streaming platforms all the time, and VOD platforms that are more inward-looking. We also need our public broadcasters to work so that we can reach local audiences. It’s quite urgent that the public broadcaster works better,” she says.

For Dube, “Distribution has always been what has eluded us. Even when you plant a seed on your farm to sell cabbage. After harvesting, you have to take it to the market for people to buy it. But if your cabbage is not grade A, it won’t make it. So we also have to look at packaging our stories in standards that are international — editing, cinematography, directing and scriptwriting. Once we can get the distribution sorted out, we’re on the money.” Dube maintains that African filmmakers have no one but themselves to look for in order for the direction to go.

Reneilwe Sema, who is the director behind Showmax show How To Manifest A Man, says that keeping stories hyper-local is the way to make African film content shine on a global scale. “The big failing in our industries is that we are trying to make content for everyone, as opposed to, for example, making content for South Africans. And that’s where success has always come through.”

Sema makes an example of Savage Beauty, saying it is a show that managed to focus on its core market because of how honest it is. The director also points out that another obstacle the industry faces is the lack of policy development and support from governments.

“African governments don’t see the importance of film, they don’t see the impact that this industry makes, they don’t see how that’s good for social cohesion. And once that changes, and they start pumping money into it, that’s when you're gonna see real growth.” Sema is also excited about the multiple players on the film field at the moment, and says that it’s good for competition.

Lediga rounds it up by saying that the distributors should be more open to an Africa of multiplicities. “We have a diverse offering. Nothing big happens, just normal African life. It’d be nice to see those films more. It doesn’t always have to be extra-violent or only supernatural for it to be enticing to audiences. We also have nuance and subtlety and normality to offer in our stories.”

All of the filmmakers agree that authenticity, high standards, and frequent productions will put African filmmakers on par with the rest of the world.