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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
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
2 days ago13 min read
“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
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
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
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
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
2 days ago13 min read
Silicon Valley African Film Festival Sets 2026 Lineup With 76 Films From 33 Countries
The 17th edition of SVAFF will run October 8–11 in San Jose, bringing together narrative features, documentaries, shorts and animation from across Africa and its diaspora, with a strong showing from Nigerian filmmakers. The Silicon Valley African Film Festivall (SVAFF) will return to San Jose from October 8 to 11 for its 17th edition, bringing 76 films from 33 countries to the Historic Hoover Theater. This year's programme spans narrative and documentary features and shorts,
Sep 52 min read
NAACP IMAGE AWARDS ADDS 10 NEW AFRICAN CATEGORIES: A CULTURAL BRIDGE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC
With categories spanning film, television, and music, the Image Awards formally recognizes African storytelling for the first time in its 59-year history, and BET's broadcast partnership means the world will be watching. By Y. Marie Kiven Kyla Pratt at the 56th NAACP Images Award Source: Instagram The NAACP Images Award have never had a dedicated home for African film, television, or music. until now. For the 58th ceremony, the organization has introduced ten new African c
Sep 44 min read
Caine Prize 2026: Black Film Wire's Own Akinwande Jordan Makes the Shortlist
The 2026 Caine Prize shortlisted writers Credit: The Caine Prize for African Writing A member of the Black Film Wire family is having a major literary moment. Akinwande Remilekun Jordan, a Jr. EIC Fellow at Black Film Wire, has been shortlisted for the 2026 Caine Prize for African Writing, one of the most prestigious honors in African literature. His story, "So Long Now It's Starting To Look Like Eternity," published by Naira Books in February 2026, is one of just five stori
Sep 44 min read
September's Must-Watch Films and Series in Black and African Cinema
1. Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother - September 25 Mahershala Ali playing a religious hitman is an intriguing contradiction! Directed by Bassam Tariq, this film is definitely one to watch. It explores themes of faith, fatherhood, and morality while delivering the tension of a crime thriller. Ali stars alongside John Cho and Giancarlo Esposito. Where to watch: In select U.S. cinemas from September 25, with a wider U.S. theatrical release on October 9 through Orion Pictures.
Aug 314 min read
The Clock Is Ticking: The Black-Led Titles Netflix Is Quietly Clearing Out This Week, and Where to Catch Them Next
From a bee with Chris Rock's wit to Riri's road trip to Michael B. Jordan's gloves, here's what's leaving Netflix in the next few days, where you can still catch them after, and the licensing deals that decide when our favorites come and go. CREED, HOME, BLACK LIGHTNING, BEE MOVIE LEAVING NETFLIX SEPTEMBER 2026 Every so often, a recommendation lands from the last place you expect it. Mine came from an investor who, by his own admission, barely has time to watch movies. I aske
Aug 299 min read
Bozoma Saint John Just Showed the Diaspora How to Come Home
On August 21, the marketing icon who built Ghana's Year of Return campaign became the story herself, marrying Keely Watson in a 1,000-guest Akan ceremony in Accra with the Asantehene, Tiwa Savage, and half of RHOBH in the room. By Kiven Yefon | Black Film Wire Inside ‘RHOBH’ Star Bozoma Saint John’s ‘Sacred’ Wedding to Keely Watson in Ghana Boz didn't just get married. She staged a homecoming, and she put it on television. On Friday, August 21, Bozoma Saint John, the market
Aug 285 min read
Shondaland Extends Partnership with Netflix.
Nearly a decade after the two companies first partnered in 2017, Shonda Rhimes and longtime producing partner Betsy Beers have renewed their partnership with Netflix, promising more of the stories that have made Shondaland a global force. Credit: Shondaland.com The partnership has already produced some of Netflix's most recognisable titles, from Bridgerton and its growing universe to Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Inventing Anna and The Residence. Netflix's current slat
Aug 272 min read
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