Features

Interviews, profiles, trend analysis, and industry-focused feature stories addressing core issues and key and emerging players across Black film and TV.

Features

“AFRICAN TALENTS DESERVE CLARITY, CONTINUITY AND OWNERSHIP” - IN CONVERSATION WITH WINGONIA IKPI, CEO OF NIGERIAN FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY BOXONIA BLUEPRINT

In 2025 Nile Entertainment, the Nigerian film distribution company founded by veteran film executive Moses Babatope, landed the African theatrical rights to Son of the Soil, a Lagos-set action-thriller from the UK's Sovereign Films and its genre label Action Xtreme. Lauded for its grit, colourful direction and swashbuckling sequences, the film has gone on to clinch festival awards and earn international distribution deals spanning Africa, the UK, the US, and Netflix. Central

Apr 2611 min read

Lupita Nyong'o, Helen of Troy & The Hypocrisy of 'Historical Accuracy' in Hollywood

Why the Lupita Nyong'o Helen of Troy controversy exposes Hollywood hypocrisy: From White Jesus to Egyptian gods, accuracy only matters for Black actors. What should be a non-issue has quickly devolved into ugly Internet discourse about race and historical accuracy, flawed as the latter is. Elon Musk says Christopher Nolan "has lost his integrity." The crime? Rumoured casting of Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy in his upcoming epic The Odyssey , set to premiere July 17, 2026

Feb 86 min read

Zack Orji on Building A Continuous Legacy in African Cinema

At 68, The Nollywood Pillar Who Went Pan-African Before Streaming Made It Cool Reflects on Building Distribution Networks Across Three Decades By Sahndra Fon Dufe, Editor-in-Chief | Black Film Wire, Atlanta GA February 4, 2026 Zack Orji|2024 On his 68th birthday, Nollywood veteran Zack Orji is still building. He is not retiring to retrospectives or tribute galas, but commissioning scripts, directing across borders, and preparing to launch an owned YouTube channel as platform

Feb 47 min read

Aliko Dangote Commits $688 Million to Revolutionise Nigerian Education

One of the biggest headlines this season comes from Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, and his foundation’s bold new move. On December 14, the Aliko Dangote Foundation announced a historic pledge of N1 trillion ($688 million) over the next decade to strengthen Nigeria’s education system. It’s a massive commitment with an equally massive vision: the initiative will start by supporting 45,000 students and scale up to reach 1.33 million beneficiaries. The focus? STEM education

Dec 17, 20252 min read

Netflix, Warner Bros. and The Future of Black Creatives

Netflix's $82.7B acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery reshapes entertainment. What does this mega-merger mean for Black creatives globally?

Dec 9, 20257 min read

The New Year of Return: How the Asantehene's Barbados Visit Rewrites 400 Years of History

Bridgetown, Barbados – The Diaspora is mostly familiar with Hollywood’s blockbusters kings presented by Marvel and other American studios. We've watched The King's Speech , where a stammering monarch finds his voice to lead a nation through war. We've felt the weight of T'Challa returning to Wakanda to claim his throne in Black Panther . We've laughed as Prince Akeem crossed an ocean to find love in Coming to America I & II. But on November 11, 2025, something far more prof

Nov 19, 20259 min read

Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF16) in Review: A Festival to Remember - Film Festival Report

92 Films. 32 Countries. 1 Weekend. October 9–12, 2025 | San Jose. Founder(SVAFF) Chike Nwoffiah honors Souleymane Cisse, October 9–12, 2025 | San Jose Asha Weal, Rice Media “Original landlords of the planet.” Chike Nwoffiah doesn’t just say it, he means it. The founder and festival director of the Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF) has spent the last 16 years pulling off what sounds, on paper, like a fever dream: an African film festival thriving in the tech capi

Oct 22, 202517 min read

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde's Mother’s Love Premiered at TIFF@50 Marks Her 30-Year Film Journey

ML Premiere | Photo Credits: Adebare Adedoyin Maas Concepts Photography Toronto, Canada - September 11, 2025: Nollywood icon Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde made history this week at the Toronto International Film Festival, where her directorial debut, Mother’s Love , screened as part of the official Industry Market program. The screening took place on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at TIFF Lightbox Cinema 5, during the festival’s landmark 50th anniversary celebrations. At the red car

Sep 13, 20255 min read

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Interviews

Care Is Not About Fixing Something: Inside First Fruit With Darrin Dewitt Henson, Vijay Beasley & Beverly "BJ" Rouse

The cast and director of the short film First Fruit sat down with Black Film Wire to talk silence, grief, community, and why choosing quiet is its own kind of resistance. Darrin Dewitt Henson on set from First Fruit. Photo credit: First Fruit official BTS. First Fruit is a short film that trusts its audience. It does not raise its voice to be heard. So when Black Film Wire sat down with its writer, director, and producer Beverly "BJ" Rouse, lead actor Darrin Dewitt Henson, a

Sep 913 min read

“AFRICAN TALENTS DESERVE CLARITY, CONTINUITY AND OWNERSHIP” - IN CONVERSATION WITH WINGONIA IKPI, CEO OF NIGERIAN FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY BOXONIA BLUEPRINT

Apr 2611 min read

Interview: Nigerian Box Office Talks Origins, Filling the Info Gap, and Lessons for Nollywood Fans and Filmmakers

In the last decade, across film, TV, music and other media, there has been a notable shift in how consumers engage with tart. Access to previously distant data and unmasking of the celebrity mythos a la social media, among other factors, have made it such that fans are more invested in the product, producers, and the business. A random Hollywood enthusiast living on the other side of the planet can easily tell you what actors and directors make the most money. Disagreements a

Feb 269 min read

“We wanted to conjure a picture of the Nigeria we know and love” - Akinola Davies Jr., Rachel Dargavel, and Funmbi Ogunbanwo on Making “My Father’s Shadow”

Exclusive interview: Akinola Davies Jr., Rachel Dargavel & Funmbi Ogunbanwo discuss making My Father's Shadow, Nigeria's first Cannes competition film. From L-R: Akinola Davies Jr., Rachel Dargavel, Funmi Ogunbanwo, Wale Davies, and Sope Disiru. Image: Fatherland Productions Some films announce themselves quietly, arriving without fanfare before lodging themselves somewhere deep and permanent. My Father's Shadow , the debut feature from Nigerian-British filmmaker Akinola Dav

Feb 2017 min read

Zack Orji on Building A Continuous Legacy in African Cinema

Feb 47 min read

Interview: Sahndra Fon Dufe Talks Faith and Cross-Continental Growth in Black Film Wire’s First Year

In this exclusive interview, Sahndra Fon Dufe shares how Black Film Wire became a leading voice for Black filmmakers across continents in just one year.

Dec 5, 202515 min read

A New Era Begins: 25 Creatives, 10 Songs, 50 Beats: CheekyChizzy Launches Afrobeat Boot Camp LA, First Writer & Producer Camp

Afrobeat Bootcamp LA 2025 | Image: Black Film Wire Hollywood, August 2022, 2025- I spent the afternoon in what felt like a bowl of talent — a building that spoke music everywhere you looked. Tucked away in a quaint Hollywood corner, Noise Nest Studios transformed into the heartbeat of a movement, and a cultural laboratory: the inaugural Afrobeat Boot Camp LA , curated by Nigerian hitmaker Cheekychizzy . Sahndra Fon Dufe, Editor-in-Chief, Black Film Wire at Afrobeat Bootcamp

Aug 27, 20257 min read

10 Things We Learned from Producer Angela White (And You Should Know) – A Black Film Wire Exclusive

Angela White: The Visionary Expanding the Scope of Global Cinema As June 2025 unfolds, powerhouse producer Angela White celebrates major milestones: her Pan-African thriller Nine now streams in 45 countries with unexpectedly strong viewership in Australia and the UK, while her faith-based hit A Question of Faith prepares for its Tubi debut seven years after its initial release - proving the enduring power of her storytelling. Angela White has long been a force in the enterta

Jun 20, 20257 min read

Profiles

From The Mic to The Producer’s Chair: Building an Independent Talk Show

Keldamuzik on creating, hosting and producing Diva Talk Tonite, and the behind-the-camera work independent artists can’t skip, from the run of show to the delivery package. Behind the scenes of Diva Talk Tonite: a headset-wearing Keldamuzik in the control room, with studio monitors and production equipment. Photo credit: Digz Media Group. Creating Diva Talk Tonite has expanded my work as an independent artist and sharpened my focus on the responsibility behind the camera. Mus

10 hours ago5 min read

Shakespeare Was the First Rapper: Why I Took Macbeth to 1990s Compton

Page Kennedy on writing, directing, and starring in Macbeth in Compton, his short that puts Shakespeare's own words in a world Black audiences actually care about. Page Kennedy as Mac and Candice Renée as Lady M in Macbeth in Compton. Photo: Courtesy of Kennedy Entertainment. Cinematography by Jason Andrew. When I first picked up Shakespeare, I couldn't stand it. I tried to read the first paragraph of A Midsummer Night's Dream in community college and told my professor straig

Oct 144 min read

Whitney Peak and the Sunrise on the Reaping Cast Surprise Fans at New York Comic Con

The Ugandan-Canadian actress joined Joseph Zada, Mckenna Grace, Ben Wang and Iris Apatow for two surprise appearances ahead of the film’s November 20 theatrical release. By Y. Marie Kiven,, Black Film Wire Whitney Peak at New York Comic Con 2026. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate Fans who showed up at New York Comic Con on Friday expecting panels and merch lines got a bonus round. Ugandan-Canadian actress Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl, Hocus Pocus 2) and her castmates from The Hunger G

Oct 134 min read

What to Watch in October 2026: Black and African Films and TV to Add to Your Watchlist

Mike Tyson in his own words, Omar Sy on the run, Mahershala Ali as a religious hitman, Club Eden's last dance, a whole lot of home, and some very good news from Hillman. Here is everything Black and African worth your remote this October. October said, "spooky season who?" Yes, the pumpkins are out and everybody is doing horror marathons, but look a little closer, and this month is stacked with Black stories on just about every screen you own. Across the water, the UK is cele

Oct 1212 min read

Why Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife Place London Matters to the Future of Black Cinema

As African and Black films continue to seek sustained theatrical access beyond festivals and streaming, Mo Abudu’s London venture raises a bigger question: who builds the infrastructure that allows these stories to reach audiences? Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife Place London, which officially opened on October 8, introduces a new proposition: a dedicated cinema and cultural venue in South London built around African and Black screen stories. Its significance lies not simply in adding a

Oct 125 min read

Kafuka African Film Festival 2026 Celebrates Amílcar Cabral and African Cinema in Cabo Verde

The second edition runs October 15–18 in Praia, with Angèle Diabang chairing the jury, a program shaped by Cabral’s legacy, masterclasses and an expanded children’s section. By Y Marie Kiven, Black Film Wire Kafuka African Film Festival 2026 The second edition of the festival will take place October 15–18 at TeckPark in the city of Praia. The event will bring filmmakers from different countries to the city, along with films featured at major international festivals, talks, ma

Oct 124 min read

EXCLUSIVE: Rushlake Media Acquires Angela Zivo Gapa's Rusambo Ahead of SVAFF World Premiere

The Zimbabwean filmmaker's feature directorial debut, a whodunnit set inside a traditional marriage negotiation, lands global representation four days before its Silicon Valley bow. Deborah Kabongo plays Hanayashe in Rusambo | Photographer: Angela Zivo Gapa, Safrilens Rushlake Media has acquired Rusambo, the feature directorial debut of Zimbabwean filmmaker Angela Zivo Gapa, for international distribution and global representation, Black Film Wire can exclusively reveal. The

Oct 74 min read

10 Opportunities for Black Writers and Filmmakers to Apply for This October

A Shondaland directing mentorship, a $60,000 short film grant, a free trip to Sundance and more. Here is what is open right now for Black storytellers across the diaspora. I'm almost three weeks into my writers' season with the AuthenticA Series Lab, where I was accepted to develop my TV series. Being on this side of a development program has reminded me how much these opportunities can change a career, and I wanted to make time to talk about them. This list is for the young

Oct 77 min read

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