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Resources
Need context, history, funding, and marketing film resources, or deep dives into iconic works? Our references section has your back with everything you need to understand the culture of Black cinema.
Grants
Global Stage: ATL Culture House Opens Submissions for Creatives Ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026
ATL Culture House officially opens curated submissions for cultural producers and storytellers ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 . Atlanta, GA March 27, 2026 ATL CULTURE HOUSE OPEN CALL As Atlanta prepares to take its place as a cornerstone host city for the FIFA World Cup 2026 , the focus is shifting from the pitch to the city's powerhouse creative economy. ATL Culture House has officially announced an open call for cultural producers, curators, and multidisciplinary creati
African Pictures International
Mar 272 min read
St. Kitts and Nevis Updates Citizenship Programme: Why It Matters for International Black Film Stakeholders
St. Kitts and Nevis implements mandatory biometric data for Citizenship by Investment Programme. What Black film stakeholders need to know about mobility The Citizenship by Investment Unit of St. Kitts and Nevis has announced the upcoming implementation of mandatory biometric data collection for all new applicants under its Citizenship by Investment Programme (CBI), with the measure expected to take effect before the end of Q1 2026. The initiative aligns the Federation’s secu
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Feb 243 min read
Final Draft Updates Its Terms of Service: Here's What Every Filmmaker Needs to Know Before Your Scripts Are Gone
Final Draft updated its Terms of Service in 2026. Here's what Black filmmakers, screenwriters, and indie film students need to know before your scripts disappear. When a company like Final Draft updates its Terms of Service and End User License Agreement , it's easy to dismiss as legal housekeeping. But that is not the case If you're building IP, pitching streamers, developing festival-bound scripts, or working on anything you intend to own and monetize, those terms directly
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Feb 246 min read
Resources and Opportunities for Black Talent in Film and TV: January 2026
Looking for film funding or festival entries? Explore the January 2026 Black Film Wire guide to resources for filmmakers across the global Black diaspora. 2026 is heating up to be an exciting year for film and TV. For budding and established black talent, this also represents multiple opportunities to upskill, exhibit work on larger stages, and secure funding for passion projects. It is to this end that Black Film Wire has put together an extensive list of available opportun
John Eriomala
Jan 255 min read
AFFC Storytellers Film Lab Cohort III: Empowering Nairobi's Emerging Female Filmmakers
AFFC Storytellers Film Lab Cohort III is now accepting applications from emerging female filmmakers in Nairobi. 6-week program, apply by February 2. The African Female Filmmakers Collective (AFFC) has announced an open call for its highly anticipated Storytellers Film Lab Cohort III , a transformative opportunity designed specifically for emerging women filmmakers based in Nairobi, Kenya. This intensive six-week program offers hands-on training, professional mentorship, and
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Jan 232 min read
Urban Vision Makes Casting Call For Male and Female TV Role
The Nigerian studio behind ‘The Men's Club’ has put out a call for a male and female role in a new TV Series. Apply by 26 January, 2026. Filmmaker and Founder of Urban Vision 360 Tola Odunsi has put out a casting call for two lead roles in an upcoming TV series. The announcement, made via social media yesterday, states that interested actors and actresses should be between 25 and 35 years old, and preferably be relatively new faces. They are to send a profile, social med
John Eriomala
Jan 151 min read
BLUHOUSE Studio Releases Casting Call For Female Role
Leading Nigerian studio Bluhouse has put out a call for an Igbo-speaking female role. Deadline is January 11. BLUHOUSE Studios, the production house behind films like Freedom Way (2024) , A Quiet Monday (2023) , the Zikoko Life Anthology Series (2025), and Indie pictures like Obi is A Boy (2025) and Kachifo (Till the Morning Come) , has put out a casting call for a female role. Applicants, between 25 and 35 years, are required to send in a monologue in Igbo as seen
John Eriomala
Jan 61 min read
Casting Call Opportunities for December 2025 and Early 2026
BlackFilmWire’s List of Casting Call opportunities in the black diaspora for December 2025 and early 2026.
John Eriomala
Dec 19, 20253 min read
Film Festivals
CAMIFF 2026 Opens in Grand Style as Festival Marks Landmark 10th Anniversary in Buea
CAMIFF 2026 opens its 10th anniversary edition in Buea with a landmark ceremony at Mountain Hotel, uniting African and international filmmakers for a week of screenings, tributes, and industry exchange, while celebrating a decade of impact in Central African cinema. The Cameroon International Film Festival officially commenced its landmark 10th edition in Buea with a vibrant and emotionally resonant opening ceremony, setting the tone for what promises to be a defining moment
Cheng Fon Njong
Apr 253 min read
DAY 3 HIGHLIGHT: Craft, Collaboration and Cinema Community Defined a Packed Third Day at CAMIFF.
…………………………………………………………………………. By Njei Ryan FOR BLACK FILM WIRE By Day Three, CAMIFF 2026 had fully hit its stride. The festival grounds carried that unmistakable midpoint energy, where strangers have become collaborators, workshop participants are beginning to sound like filmmakers, and every room seems to be holding a different conversation about the future of African cinema. Thursday was one of those festival days where everything seemed to happen at once. Acting. Directing
Njei Ryan
Apr 246 min read
ABFF-SELECTED CAMEROONIAN DRAMA LIGHTS OUT MAKES LANDMARK AVANT-PREMIERE IN DOUALA, STARRING WALE OJO, ELIZABETH NGONGANG AND SYNDY EMADE
Psychological Dementia Drama from the Team Behind Cameroon’s Oscar-Submitted Half Heaven Draws Industry and Press to Majestic Bessengue Ahead of ABFF Miami and Ohio Premieres DOUALA, CAMEROON- According to Black Film Wire, LIGHTS OUT, the psychological drama addressing dementia through the lens of family, grief, and institutional neglect, held its Cameroon avant-premiere on Saturday, 18 April 2026, at Majestic Bessengue, one of the country’s newest and most strategically posi
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Apr 217 min read
Silicon Valley African Film Festival Appoints Teresa Chapman to International Advisory Board
Bimbo Ademoye's latest YouTube film arrives with 8 million views, a standout supporting cast, and serious style, but does the dual performance at its centre fully deliver? April 13, 2026 Teresa Chapman The Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF) has announced the appointment of Teresa Chapman to its International Advisory Board, effective immediately. Teresa’s addition marks a strategic step for the festival as it continues to expand its influence as a leading platform
BFW Staff
Apr 132 min read
Cameroon's Lights Out Lands on ABFF 2026 Lineup as Festival Unveils 30th Anniversary Slate With Jamie Foxx, Marsai Martin and More
The American Black Film Festival has unveiled its 2026 lineup, with Cameroon's Lights Out earning a world premiere slot among the international narrative features in this landmark anniversary slate. Atlanta, GA April 9, 2026 AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVALS’ 30TH ANNIVERSARY | MAY 27-31 https://www.abff.com/miami/ The American Black Film Festival has revealed its official 2026 lineup, celebrating its 30th anniversary with a slate tied to Jamie Foxx, Marsai Martin, Courtney B.
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Apr 92 min read
Blair Underwood and Prisma James Named Faces of CAMIFF 2026 | Hollywood Star's Cameroonian Roots Take Centre Stage at 10th Anniversary Edition
April 20–25, 2026 | Buea Mountain Hotel, Buea, Cameroon CAMIFF 2026 marks a decade of African cinema with an international feature film competition, star-studded cultural events, and industry programming across six days on the slopes of Mount Cameroon. BUEA, CAMEROON - March 2026 The Cameroon International Film Festival (CAMIFF) returns to the slopes of Mount Cameroon this April for its landmark 10th anniversary edition. Running April 20–25, 2026, at the Buea Mountain Hotel
BFW Staff
Mar 143 min read
Son of the Soil Reaches No. 1 on Netflix Nigeria Top 10 Chart
British-Chinese Director, Chee Keong Cheung ’s action thriller, Son of the Soil , has attained the top spot on the Netflix Nigeria Top 10 Chart less than 24 hours after release. This follows the film’s arrival on the streaming giant, after impressive showings at the 2025 African International Film Festival (AFRIFF) and Black Star International Film Festival (BSIFF) and the 2026 Pan-Afriican Film Festival . The film follows Zion Ladejo ( Razaq Adoti ), an ex Nigerian soldie
John Eriomala
Mar 31 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
Jerry Chiemeke
Feb 2017 min read
Apps
Giveaways
What to Watch on the Plane This Summer: A Black Film Wire Guide to Black and African Cinema at 35,000 Feet
You bored, thinking you will sleep. You scroll the movie menu out of habit. And then, if you know where to look you find something that matters. Here is how to find it. Black Film Wire Staff · Summer 2026Travel Guide The in-flight entertainment screen does not look like a discovery space. It looks like a menu. Rows of studio titles, familiar comedies, the same action films you passed on at home. Most passengers scroll for two minutes, pick something comfortable, and stop th
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Jun 66 min read
What Is MUBI? The Streaming Platform Black and African Film Audiences Should Know About
MUBI You know Tubi. You may have scrolled past Hulu, Netflix and Prime Video looking for a film everybody serious about cinema seems to be discussing. Then someone says, “It’s on MUBI.” That is usually how the introduction happens. For many viewers, MUBI is where they first meet the films that do not always make it to the front page of mainstream streaming: a Nigerian feature, a Senegalese drama, a Berlin or Cannes title, a TIFF discovery, the kind of cinema that shows up in
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Jun 54 min read
Black Film Wire’s June 2026 Selection: 23 + New Additions: Nollywood, International and Hollywood Black Films and Shows to Watch
From Scary Movie and Creed to Nollywood premieres, Cameroonian cinema, MUBI, Hulu and diaspora documentaries, here are Black Film Wire’s essential June 2026 screen picks. The summer movie season is officially open, and June 2026 is delivering more than the mainstream calendar might suggest. Yes, the Wayans family is back in theaters with Scary Movie. Yes, The Blackening is perfectly timed for a Juneteenth-season rewatch. And yes, Nia DaCosta's Hedda remains a Prime Video titl
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Jun 410 min read
Sir Idris Elba: The Boy from Hackney Who Walked Into Windsor
Idris Elba has been knighted by King Charles at Windsor Castle, an honour that lands differently when you know the full story of who gave it and who received it. King Charles knights Sir Idris Elba at Windsor Castle on June 2, 2026.Credit : PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo Black Film Wire Staff · June 2026Film & Culture On June 2, 2026, Idrissa Akuna Elba walked into Windsor Castle and walked out as Sir Idris Elba, knighted by King Charles for his services to young people. The
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Jun 35 min read
They Can't Take Our Joy and Our Edges
The Netflix "Celebration of Black Television" Panel at ABFF Was the Therapy We Didn't Know We Needed By Sahndra Fon Dufe | Black Film Wire | ABFF 2026, Miami Beach Panelists: Michelle Buteau · Amy Aniobi · Krystle Stewart · Courtney Kemp · Maleah Joi Moon · Debbie Allen · Felicia Pride · Mario Van Peebles · Moderated by Nina Parker Credit: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images I almost didn't make it, but thank God I did. The queue outside the New World Center in Miami Beach was doing w
Sahndra Fon Dufe
May 3011 min read
Cameroon's Creative Sector Is Not the Soft Side of Growth.It Is the Growth.
At Texcellence Prelude Cameroon, one executive made the case that Africa's creative infrastructure gap is also its biggest untapped investment opportunity. By Sahndra Fon Dufe · African Pictures International · Black Film Wire Contributor DOUALA, CAMEROON | On May 13, 2026, the Texcellence Prelude Cameroon convened a cross-sector panel of executives from fintech, manufacturing, technology, and the creative economy to examine what they called Cameroon's digital inflection
Sahndra Fon Dufe
May 276 min read
Nollywood Actors Who Played The Most Shocking Roles.
There are roles actors play that completely change the way audiences see them. Nollywood has continued to push boundaries with characters, giving actors room to step outside their comfort zones and fully transform on screen. These actors delivered performances that shocked audiences not just because of the storylines, but because of how convincingly they disappeared into the roles. Here are some of the most shocking Nollywood performances that left viewers talking long after
Azeezat Bolanle & Oluwaseun Mary
May 182 min read
Remembering Alexx Ekubo: A Star Whose Presence Defined a Generation of Nollywood
By Adesewa Bolu The African film industry is in mourning following the heartbreaking passing of Alex Ekubo, one of Nollywood’s most recognizable and beloved screen stars, who reportedly died on May 11, 2026, at the age of 40. News of his passing has sent shockwaves across the entertainment industry, with colleagues, fans, and filmmakers paying tribute to an actor remembered not only for his talent and charisma, but also for his kindness, elegance, and generosity of spirit. Fo
Adesewa Ojo
May 132 min read
What to Watch on the Plane This Summer: A Black Film Wire Guide to Black and African Cinema at 35,000 Feet
You bored, thinking you will sleep. You scroll the movie menu out of habit. And then, if you know where to look you find something that matters. Here is how to find it. Black Film Wire Staff · Summer 2026Travel Guide The in-flight entertainment screen does not look like a discovery space. It looks like a menu. Rows of studio titles, familiar comedies, the same action films you passed on at home. Most passengers scroll for two minutes, pick something comfortable, and stop th
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Jun 66 min read
What Is MUBI? The Streaming Platform Black and African Film Audiences Should Know About
MUBI You know Tubi. You may have scrolled past Hulu, Netflix and Prime Video looking for a film everybody serious about cinema seems to be discussing. Then someone says, “It’s on MUBI.” That is usually how the introduction happens. For many viewers, MUBI is where they first meet the films that do not always make it to the front page of mainstream streaming: a Nigerian feature, a Senegalese drama, a Berlin or Cannes title, a TIFF discovery, the kind of cinema that shows up in
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Jun 54 min read
Black Film Wire’s June 2026 Selection: 23 + New Additions: Nollywood, International and Hollywood Black Films and Shows to Watch
From Scary Movie and Creed to Nollywood premieres, Cameroonian cinema, MUBI, Hulu and diaspora documentaries, here are Black Film Wire’s essential June 2026 screen picks. The summer movie season is officially open, and June 2026 is delivering more than the mainstream calendar might suggest. Yes, the Wayans family is back in theaters with Scary Movie. Yes, The Blackening is perfectly timed for a Juneteenth-season rewatch. And yes, Nia DaCosta's Hedda remains a Prime Video titl
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Jun 410 min read
Sir Idris Elba: The Boy from Hackney Who Walked Into Windsor
Idris Elba has been knighted by King Charles at Windsor Castle, an honour that lands differently when you know the full story of who gave it and who received it. King Charles knights Sir Idris Elba at Windsor Castle on June 2, 2026.Credit : PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo Black Film Wire Staff · June 2026Film & Culture On June 2, 2026, Idrissa Akuna Elba walked into Windsor Castle and walked out as Sir Idris Elba, knighted by King Charles for his services to young people. The
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Jun 35 min read
They Can't Take Our Joy and Our Edges
The Netflix "Celebration of Black Television" Panel at ABFF Was the Therapy We Didn't Know We Needed By Sahndra Fon Dufe | Black Film Wire | ABFF 2026, Miami Beach Panelists: Michelle Buteau · Amy Aniobi · Krystle Stewart · Courtney Kemp · Maleah Joi Moon · Debbie Allen · Felicia Pride · Mario Van Peebles · Moderated by Nina Parker Credit: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images I almost didn't make it, but thank God I did. The queue outside the New World Center in Miami Beach was doing w
Sahndra Fon Dufe
May 3011 min read
Cameroon's Creative Sector Is Not the Soft Side of Growth.It Is the Growth.
At Texcellence Prelude Cameroon, one executive made the case that Africa's creative infrastructure gap is also its biggest untapped investment opportunity. By Sahndra Fon Dufe · African Pictures International · Black Film Wire Contributor DOUALA, CAMEROON | On May 13, 2026, the Texcellence Prelude Cameroon convened a cross-sector panel of executives from fintech, manufacturing, technology, and the creative economy to examine what they called Cameroon's digital inflection
Sahndra Fon Dufe
May 276 min read
Nollywood Actors Who Played The Most Shocking Roles.
There are roles actors play that completely change the way audiences see them. Nollywood has continued to push boundaries with characters, giving actors room to step outside their comfort zones and fully transform on screen. These actors delivered performances that shocked audiences not just because of the storylines, but because of how convincingly they disappeared into the roles. Here are some of the most shocking Nollywood performances that left viewers talking long after
Azeezat Bolanle & Oluwaseun Mary
May 182 min read
Remembering Alexx Ekubo: A Star Whose Presence Defined a Generation of Nollywood
By Adesewa Bolu The African film industry is in mourning following the heartbreaking passing of Alex Ekubo, one of Nollywood’s most recognizable and beloved screen stars, who reportedly died on May 11, 2026, at the age of 40. News of his passing has sent shockwaves across the entertainment industry, with colleagues, fans, and filmmakers paying tribute to an actor remembered not only for his talent and charisma, but also for his kindness, elegance, and generosity of spirit. Fo
Adesewa Ojo
May 132 min read
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