The global film conversation recently wrapped up in Cannes, where filmmakers, producers, and distributors from all over the world gathered for the annual market. From this side of the continent, it was an incredibly exciting year to watch.
Rwanda made history with the film Ben'Imana, directed by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo. Not only was she the first Rwandan director ever selected for the festival's official lineup, but the film also took home two massive awards: the FIPRESCI International Critics' Prize and the prestigious Caméra d'Or for best first feature film.
It is a beautiful, historic win that proves once again that our stories absolutely belong on the world’s biggest stages.
But as the red carpets close, a bigger question always comes up: What happens next? Why do our films win big awards abroad, but struggle to be seen by audiences right here on the continent?
The Language Barriers in African Cinema
When we look at how films move across Africa, the reality is that the continent is deeply divided by language.
We have English, French, and Arabic-speaking regions, and our film industries tend to stay inside those boxes. A film made in a French-speaking country might do well in other French-speaking areas, but it rarely crosses over into English or Arabic-speaking territories.
Because of these boundaries, too many incredible African films end up dying a natural death inside the international festival circuit. It is hard enough for a film to break into global festivals, but it is often even harder for that same film to travel between different countries on its own home continent.
If we want our cinema to survive, we have to find ways to help stories cross these language lines.
Building Our Own Pipelines
To make this happen, regional distributors who act as the gatekeepers for what people get to watch need to start partnering up across borders.
This is something we are actively trying to tackle. Our sister distribution company, Bigger Motion, which we launched last October, is currently working on mapping out screens across the continent. They have already formed partnerships with spaces like Videobet in Ethiopia to showcase African films that would typically never get a chance to screen in that region.
At the same time, filmmakers can start bridging these gaps from the very beginning by intentionally working together on cross-border co-productions.
What We Hope Filmmakers Have Brought Back From Cannes
When African filmmakers attend major international markets, the real value isn't just the red carpets or pitching new scripts. It's the chance to study how working systems are built, how regional partnerships operate, how distribution pipelines work, and how audiences are built over time.
The strongest film industries in the world aren't built on a single successful movie. They are sustained by reliable systems:
- Consistent funding setups
- Reliable distribution pipelines
- Cross-border collaboration
- Strong local audience ecosystems
For us in Africa, the challenge is to start building these pipelines ourselves instead of only waiting for validation from Europe or North America. We need to create a regular flow of cinema between countries like Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Morocco, South Africa, etc.
Beyond the Festival
Global milestones like the wins at Cannes are important because they remind us of what is possible. But real sustainability is built in the spaces between those milestones.
The real opportunity ahead of us isn't just celebrating that African cinema is being recognized globally, but doing the practical work at home to ensure our films can actually travel to audiences across our own borders.