Tambay Obenson

African Film Press (AFP) published its 2025 Year-End Organizational Overview with a revamped web presence, documenting AFP’s first full year of operation and how the alliance operates across Akoroko, Sinema Focus, and What Kept Me Up. The full story is at africanfilmpress.com.

We follow the whole ecosystem — Akoroko, Sinema Focus, What Kept Me Up #AfricanFilmPress

"Ultimately, heavy reliance on a non-commercial, grant-based film economy often driven by European institutions — increasingly Gulf — which should prompt questions about long-term sustainability, particularly for the arthouse sector that dominates prestige conversations." akoroko.com/african-film...

How casually a powerful state can cross borders, bomb territory, and physically remove another country’s leader, not justified by any binding international legal process. Troubling that many applaud action like this, accepted as "common sense"; zero scrutiny. I'm exhausted.

What happens after the streaming wars? Will festival success translate to home releases? Can African film journalism shift the narrative? What role will China and AI play? Akoroko examines the pressure points defining the next phase of Africa's media landscape. Read: akoroko.com/african-scre...

A new year begins. This work continues. Thank you, as always, for being here #Akoroko #AfricanFilmPress #AFP

Based on a comprehensive Akoroko audit of African screen activity from 2022 to Dec. 2025, this analysis maps ten "alternative" narratives that challenge the tired "emerging market" framing of African cinema. The work was never quiet; it's just harder to ignore now: akoroko.com/10-conversat...

Netflix’s Warner Bros. bid accelerates global media consolidation at the top. Africa’s screen economy now shaped by Canal+ / MultiChoice. Immediate impact more in diaspora markets, pending further clarity from Canal+’s Africa integration plans. Akoroko insights: akoroko.com/netflix-warn...

The Prize certificate also comes with a USD $500 cash award.

The African Film Press AFP Critics Prize officially launches at S16 Film Festival in Lagos, Nigeria 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

"El Sett" world premiere #MarrakechInternationalFilmFestival #UmmKulthum

Early rise today for a most privileged part of these programs — the works-in-progress screenings. Glimpses into the future...

Meanwhile... also at Marrakech for the festival and the restructured Atlas Programs...

🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 #AfricanFilmPress #AFP

We follow the whole ecosystem — Akoroko | Sinema Focus | What Kept Me Up

The only report of its kind: African Box Office 2025 — A Measured View of the Continent’s Theatrical Revenue akoroko.com/african-box-...

Launching the Prize at the S16 Film Festival in Lagos, Nigeria, in two weeks!

Discussing the afterlives of African films at the University of Cambridge a few days ago...

Been quite a year for me and the platforms I'm building. But 2025 is not done with me yet. Next: honored to have been invited to speak at the University of Cambridge during a symposium organized around the 60th anniversary of Ousmane Sembène’s landmark film. Details: crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/47520/

Good company... #SanSebastianFilmFestival

Old Town, San Sebastián...

#SanSebastianFilmFestival

#Couture intro #SanSebastián

San Sebastián 2025 #SSIFF

MY FATHER'S SHADOW comes home, opening in Nigerian cinemas on Sept 19. I was at the Cannes premiere. My review of the film (among this year's most popular subscriber newsletters) is online. Read for FREE: A Son’s Reconstruction of a Father Lost to Lagos and History — akoroko.com/my-fathers-s...

Does Trump continue unabated? Apparently. The pattern: push a boundary; meet little meaningful resistance; normalize it. Republicans do nothing; Democrats can’t or won’t; and what was unthinkable yesterday, is a precedent tomorrow. There's no scenario where that cycle ends well for anyone...

What happened when 11 Nigerian filmmakers explored the national audiovisual archive and produced new shorts, linking past moving images to present-day discourse on identity and politics...? akoroko.com/nigerian-fil...

... Level up....

Much thanks to OkayAfrica for the piece 🙌🏾 www.okayafrica.com/how-african-...

Africa at Venice 2025 → the largest footprint in the festival’s history: 25+ projects across Competition, Critics’ Week, Venice Days, Biennale College, Final Cut, Gap-Financing, Book Adaptation.

Festival runs Aug 27–Sept 6.

Subscribe for full breakdown and analysis: akoroko.com/localpricing/