Film Africa Network: Building the connections African cinema needs
By Osezua Steve-Imobhio
THE creation of the Film Africa Network (FAN) by the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) and Ghana-based Driving Park Ltd (DPL) comes at a critical moment for African cinema. Africa has no shortage of stories, filmmakers or audiences. What it lacks is a connected system for moving stories across African markets. That is the gap FAN seeks to address. It’s precisely why continental partnerships could change African storytelling
With a pilot scheduled for October 2026, FAN aims to establish a continent-wide exhibition platform involving 25 African countries and five films, with the ambition of eventually reaching all 54 countries. For AILFF, this is about more than another film project. It is about connecting Africa’s fragmented film markets.
PAWA Secretary General Dr. Wale Okediran has described the partnership as a commitment to African storytelling’s future. That commitment matters because production without distribution cannot sustain a film industry. Many African films struggle to travel beyond their countries of origin because markets are fragmented and exhibition opportunities limited.
Driving Park Ltd CEO Ruby Ofori identifies the central problem: distribution. By connecting filmmakers with audiences across borders, FAN could create revenue opportunities, stimulate demand and encourage filmmakers to think beyond domestic markets. That shift—from producing films to building audiences for African films—could be transformative.
It’s the value proposition of Africa watching Africa. A continental exhibition network would strengthen cultural exchange. Nigerian films should reach Ghanaian, Kenyan and Senegalese audiences, just as films from those countries should travel across the continent. Such circulation can generate broadcast deals, licensing, educational screenings, festival partnerships, sponsorships and co-productions.
It can also reveal what Africans are watching, which stories travel and where market gaps exist. That information is an industry asset.
One promising possibility is PAWA’s interest in book-to-film adaptations, particularly stories from indigenous African languages. Africa’s literary traditions contain countless stories waiting for the screen. Stronger links between (fiction) writers and filmmakers could help bring them to wider audiences.
Through subtitling and dubbing, films can travel without losing their cultural identity. Adaptation can therefore support cultural preservation, transmission and expansion. For AILFF, which champions indigenous-language cinema, the goal is not to make African stories less African, but to make authentically African stories easier to discover.
The reported USD$200 initial remuneration for Country Representatives may be modest, but their relationships with cinemas, broadcasters, cultural institutions, universities, filmmakers and audiences could have lasting value.
These networks can support recurring screenings, educational programmes, film exchanges, co-productions and new commercial opportunities. Sustainable value often comes not from one transaction, but from the network that follows it.
FAN’s real test will be implementation. To become a genuine continental platform, it will need sustainable funding, strong cinema and television partnerships, transparent film selection, fair rights and revenue arrangements, professional subtitling and dubbing, effective marketing, audience development and data collection and a clear path from pilot screenings to a permanent network.
The goal should be bigger than screening five films in 25 countries. It should establish a repeatable system through which African films continuously find African audiences.
The PAWA–DPL partnership reflects a broader truth: African cinema needs fewer isolated initiatives and more connected ones. Writers need filmmakers. Filmmakers need distributors. Distributors need exhibitors. Festivals need audiences. Broadcasters need quality African content. Stronger relationships create opportunities across the industry and make sustainable revenue more possible. That is the promise of continental collaboration.
FAN represents an important proposition: Africa can become not only a producer, but also a stronger consumer and distributor of its own stories. Global audiences remain important, but African films must also circulate and thrive within Africa. FAN’s success should be measured not only by screenings, but by what remains: new audiences, stronger networks, sustainable distribution channels and creative collaborations.
The continent already has the stories. The urgent task is building the connections that allow them to travel. That is where FAN could make its greatest contribution.
* Steve-Imobhio is Director, African Indigenous Languages Film Festival (AILFF)
