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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
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
Outlast Arts Education Celebrates Black and Native Creatives with New Opportunities
If you’ve been waiting for a sign to put your art out into the world, this might be it. Every month, Outlast Arts Education puts together a love letter to creativity in the form of a curated list of grants, workshops, and contests made especially for Black and Native artists. From screenwriting to poetry, filmmaking to nonfiction, it’s a growing space where BIPOC voices are seen, celebrated, and supported. Think of it as your monthly reminder that your art deserves room to
Siona Sakah
Oct 22, 20252 min read
Next Narrative Africa Fund Opens Call for Africa-Focused Film & TV
Apply Now: $40M Next Narrative Africa Fund Opens Call for Film & TV Script Grants Attention filmmakers, screenwriters, and visionaries:...
BFW Staff
Jul 10, 20252 min read
Two Powerful Spaces Black Men in LA Should Show Up For This Men’s Mental Health Month
By Sahndra Fon Dufe | Black Film Wire June is Men’s Mental Health Month—and for Black men especially, this moment carries layered meaning. For too long, our brothers have been told to “man up,” to suppress, to endure. But the truth is, healing is power. Vulnerability is strength. And community is medicine. In Los Angeles, a city that often celebrates hustle over healing, a few powerful spaces are creating room for our men to pause, process, and pour into themselves—mentally,
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Jun 4, 20252 min read
Film Festivals
Pamela Adie’s Narrative Debut Feature ìfẹ́: The Sequel Set For 2026 BFI Flare Film Festival World Premiere
Pamela Adie's ìfẹ́: The Sequel premieres at BFI Flare 2026. Nigerian LGBTQ filmmaker's narrative debut explores queer love and identity in Lagos. Nigerian LGBTQIA+ Filmmaker Pamela Adie ’s narrative debut feature ìfẹ́: The Sequel is set to make its its world premiere on March 23, 2026 at the 40th edition of the BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival . The film, which is the highly anticipated follow-up to the 2020 short ìfẹ́ will be showing at BFI Southbank, London,
John Eriomala
9 hours ago2 min read
Sundance Film Festival 2026: Praise Odigie's “Birdie” is a Quiet Portrait of Refugee Grief
Birdie at Sundance 2026: Nigerian-American director Praise Paige Odigie crafts a moving portrait of a Biafran refugee family navigating loss and identity Once upon a time, a mother and her two daughters lived in the American countryside. They were from another country, building a new life in the aftermath of a war between their people and those whom they once called compatriots. The older daughter believed her father was dead. Mother and younger teenage daughter believed he w
John Eriomala
5 days ago6 min read
Must-See Black Cinema at PAFF 2026: From Groundbreaking Debuts to Milestone Anniversaries
Pan African Film & Arts Festival showcases dynamic range of storytelling from established auteurs and emerging voices (February 16-22) Los Angeles - The 35th Pan African Film & Arts Festival returns to Los Angeles February 16–22, 2026, bringing together a compelling slate of Black cinema that spans continents, and generations. As one of the premier platforms for African diaspora storytelling, PAFF 2026 offers audiences a front-row seat to the evolution of Black filmmaking,
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Feb 103 min read
Sundance Film Festival 2026: Olive Nwosu’s Feature Debut “Lady” Is A Spirited But Uneven Portrait Of Gender And Agency In Contemporary Lagos
Review: Olive Nwosu's Sundance 2026 debut Lady explores sisterhood and sex work in Lagos with spirited ambition but uneven execution. Jerry Chiemeke reports Image Credit: Sundance Nigerian-born filmmaker Olive Nwosu 's feature debut Lady (2026) announces itself with ambition as it wafts on an intriguing backdrop: an inverted view of the Lagos lagoon, two childhood friends perched on a dilapidated shack, and the shadow of trauma that will reverberate through the film's 92-min
Jerry Chiemeke
Jan 295 min read
Christmas Special: 5 Nigerian Film Journos Discuss Their Favourite Coverages of 2025
Top Nigerian film journalists share their favourite 2025 coverage moments, from To Kill A Monkey controversy to indie discoveries and festival highlights.
John Eriomala
Dec 25, 20255 min read
Nigerian Indie Filmmaker Dika Ofoma’s Obi Is A Boy Set For 2026 IFFR Premiere
Dika Ofoma's Obi is A Boy is Nigeria's only film showing at the prestigious International Film Festival Rotterdam
John Eriomala
Dec 18, 20251 min read
A Look at the Three African Films In Sundance 2026’s Short Film Selection
Sundance 2026's Short Film Section features three African films: Praise Odigie Paige's Birdie, Will Niava's Jazz Infernal, and Rami Jarboui's The Bird's Placebo.
John Eriomala
Dec 17, 20252 min read
Idris Elba To Take on New Path as A Director
Idris Elba announces he's stepping back from acting to focus on directing full-time, revealing his career shift at the Red Sea Film Festival.
John Eriomala
Dec 16, 20252 min read
Apps
Giveaways
Pamela Adie’s Narrative Debut Feature ìfẹ́: The Sequel Set For 2026 BFI Flare Film Festival World Premiere
Pamela Adie's ìfẹ́: The Sequel premieres at BFI Flare 2026. Nigerian LGBTQ filmmaker's narrative debut explores queer love and identity in Lagos. Nigerian LGBTQIA+ Filmmaker Pamela Adie ’s narrative debut feature ìfẹ́: The Sequel is set to make its its world premiere on March 23, 2026 at the 40th edition of the BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival . The film, which is the highly anticipated follow-up to the 2020 short ìfẹ́ will be showing at BFI Southbank, London,
John Eriomala
9 hours ago2 min read
Rev. Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Giant, Dies at 84
Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, whose legacy extended from marching with MLK to running for President twice and shaping Black American history, dies at 84. The Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr., one of the most significant civil rights leaders in American history, has died at 84. According to a statement from his family, Jackson passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017 and had been battling Progressive Supranuclear
John Eriomala
16 hours ago3 min read
Nile Entertainment Secures UIP Deal as Exclusive Theatrical Distributor for Universal and Paramount Pictures in West Africa
Nile Entertainment , a subsidiary of Nile Media Entertainment Group, is set to become the sole theatrical distributor for Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures films across West Africa, following an appointment by United International Pictures. The deal is set to take effect from February 27, 2026 and will see the company take over exclusively for UIP in ‘key markets, including Ghana and Nigeria’. According to a Press Release shared via social media by Nile Group CEO,
John Eriomala
4 days ago2 min read
10 Iconic African Love Stories from the CD and DVD Era
You know that feeling when you stumble on an old Nollywood or Ghallywood film on YouTube and suddenly it's 3 AM and you're crying over a love triangle that involves juju, class warfare, and at least two people pretending to be dead, BlackBerry in hand? That's " jakusco" energy, the beautifully chaotic, melodramatic African love stories from the late 90s to the early 2010s that defined a generation, with raw emotional performances that prioritized drama and cultural depth. I
Sahndra Fon Dufe
5 days ago4 min read
Next Narrative Africa Fund Unveils 13-Member Advisory Board To Oversee Deployment of $50 Million in Commercial Equity and Grants
The Akunna Cook-led fund, intending to deploy $50 million in support of audio-visual content made by African and African-diaspora creators, has set up an advisory board. In an exclusive announcement via The Hollywood Reporter , also shared via their newsletter, the Next Narrative Africa Fund (NNAF), a content and media investment vehicle targeting $50 million in support of audio-visual content made by African and African-diaspora creators, has unveiled a 13-member advisory
John Eriomala
5 days ago2 min read
Sundance Film Festival 2026: Praise Odigie's “Birdie” is a Quiet Portrait of Refugee Grief
Birdie at Sundance 2026: Nigerian-American director Praise Paige Odigie crafts a moving portrait of a Biafran refugee family navigating loss and identity Once upon a time, a mother and her two daughters lived in the American countryside. They were from another country, building a new life in the aftermath of a war between their people and those whom they once called compatriots. The older daughter believed her father was dead. Mother and younger teenage daughter believed he w
John Eriomala
5 days ago6 min read
Katt Williams' 'The Last Report': The Prophet of Comedy Is Vindicated
Netflix special proves the comedian wasn't conspiracy theorizing; he was just early Katt Williams opens his fourth Netflix special, The Last Report , by doing something you don't see enough in comedy these days: acknowledging God. Not as a punchline, not as a setup, but as genuine gratitude. "I'm God's own," he declares early in the hour, and it sets the tone for what becomes a masterclass in truth-telling wrapped in hilarious packaging. Released February 10, "The Last Repor
Sahndra Fon Dufe
7 days ago9 min read
Must-See Black Cinema at PAFF 2026: From Groundbreaking Debuts to Milestone Anniversaries
Pan African Film & Arts Festival showcases dynamic range of storytelling from established auteurs and emerging voices (February 16-22) Los Angeles - The 35th Pan African Film & Arts Festival returns to Los Angeles February 16–22, 2026, bringing together a compelling slate of Black cinema that spans continents, and generations. As one of the premier platforms for African diaspora storytelling, PAFF 2026 offers audiences a front-row seat to the evolution of Black filmmaking,
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Feb 103 min read
Pamela Adie’s Narrative Debut Feature ìfẹ́: The Sequel Set For 2026 BFI Flare Film Festival World Premiere
Pamela Adie's ìfẹ́: The Sequel premieres at BFI Flare 2026. Nigerian LGBTQ filmmaker's narrative debut explores queer love and identity in Lagos. Nigerian LGBTQIA+ Filmmaker Pamela Adie ’s narrative debut feature ìfẹ́: The Sequel is set to make its its world premiere on March 23, 2026 at the 40th edition of the BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival . The film, which is the highly anticipated follow-up to the 2020 short ìfẹ́ will be showing at BFI Southbank, London,
John Eriomala
9 hours ago2 min read
Rev. Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Giant, Dies at 84
Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, whose legacy extended from marching with MLK to running for President twice and shaping Black American history, dies at 84. The Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr., one of the most significant civil rights leaders in American history, has died at 84. According to a statement from his family, Jackson passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017 and had been battling Progressive Supranuclear
John Eriomala
16 hours ago3 min read
Nile Entertainment Secures UIP Deal as Exclusive Theatrical Distributor for Universal and Paramount Pictures in West Africa
Nile Entertainment , a subsidiary of Nile Media Entertainment Group, is set to become the sole theatrical distributor for Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures films across West Africa, following an appointment by United International Pictures. The deal is set to take effect from February 27, 2026 and will see the company take over exclusively for UIP in ‘key markets, including Ghana and Nigeria’. According to a Press Release shared via social media by Nile Group CEO,
John Eriomala
4 days ago2 min read
10 Iconic African Love Stories from the CD and DVD Era
You know that feeling when you stumble on an old Nollywood or Ghallywood film on YouTube and suddenly it's 3 AM and you're crying over a love triangle that involves juju, class warfare, and at least two people pretending to be dead, BlackBerry in hand? That's " jakusco" energy, the beautifully chaotic, melodramatic African love stories from the late 90s to the early 2010s that defined a generation, with raw emotional performances that prioritized drama and cultural depth. I
Sahndra Fon Dufe
5 days ago4 min read
Next Narrative Africa Fund Unveils 13-Member Advisory Board To Oversee Deployment of $50 Million in Commercial Equity and Grants
The Akunna Cook-led fund, intending to deploy $50 million in support of audio-visual content made by African and African-diaspora creators, has set up an advisory board. In an exclusive announcement via The Hollywood Reporter , also shared via their newsletter, the Next Narrative Africa Fund (NNAF), a content and media investment vehicle targeting $50 million in support of audio-visual content made by African and African-diaspora creators, has unveiled a 13-member advisory
John Eriomala
5 days ago2 min read
Sundance Film Festival 2026: Praise Odigie's “Birdie” is a Quiet Portrait of Refugee Grief
Birdie at Sundance 2026: Nigerian-American director Praise Paige Odigie crafts a moving portrait of a Biafran refugee family navigating loss and identity Once upon a time, a mother and her two daughters lived in the American countryside. They were from another country, building a new life in the aftermath of a war between their people and those whom they once called compatriots. The older daughter believed her father was dead. Mother and younger teenage daughter believed he w
John Eriomala
5 days ago6 min read
Katt Williams' 'The Last Report': The Prophet of Comedy Is Vindicated
Netflix special proves the comedian wasn't conspiracy theorizing; he was just early Katt Williams opens his fourth Netflix special, The Last Report , by doing something you don't see enough in comedy these days: acknowledging God. Not as a punchline, not as a setup, but as genuine gratitude. "I'm God's own," he declares early in the hour, and it sets the tone for what becomes a masterclass in truth-telling wrapped in hilarious packaging. Released February 10, "The Last Repor
Sahndra Fon Dufe
7 days ago9 min read
Must-See Black Cinema at PAFF 2026: From Groundbreaking Debuts to Milestone Anniversaries
Pan African Film & Arts Festival showcases dynamic range of storytelling from established auteurs and emerging voices (February 16-22) Los Angeles - The 35th Pan African Film & Arts Festival returns to Los Angeles February 16–22, 2026, bringing together a compelling slate of Black cinema that spans continents, and generations. As one of the premier platforms for African diaspora storytelling, PAFF 2026 offers audiences a front-row seat to the evolution of Black filmmaking,
Sahndra Fon Dufe
Feb 103 min read
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