Cinema of Africa covers both the history and present of the making or screening of films on the African continent, and also refers to the persons involved in this form of audiovisual culture. It dates back to the early 20th century, when film reels were the primary cinematic technology in use. During the colonial era, African life was shown only by the work of white, colonial, Western filmmakers, who depicted Africans in a negative fashion, as exotic "others". As there are more than 50 countries with audiovisual traditions, there is no one single 'African cinema'. Both historically and culturally, there are major regional differences between North African and sub-Saharan cinemas, and between the cinemas of different countries.
Women's cinema primarily describes cinematic works directed by women filmmakers. The works themselves do not have to be stories specifically about women and the target audience can be varied.
Lola Kenya Screen, or Lola Kenya Children's Screen is an audio-visual media festival and learning-by-doing mentorship for children and youth in eastern Africa. It encompasses film production, film criticism, cultural journalism, media literacy, marketing, and event planning and organisation.
The cinema of Kenya refers to the film industry of Kenya. Although a very small industry by western comparison, Kenya has produced or been a location for film since the early 1950s when Men Against the Sun was filmed in 1952. Although, in the United States, jungle epics that were set in the country were shot in Hollywood as early as the 1940s.
Wanuri Kahiu is a Kenyan film director, producer, and author. She is considered to be “one of Africa's most aspiring directors, being part of a new, vibrant crop of talents representing contemporary African culture”. She has received several awards and nominations for the films which she directed, including the awards for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Picture at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2009 for her dramatic feature film From a Whisper. She is also the co-founder of AFROBUBBLEGUM, a media collective dedicated to supporting African art for its own sake.
Soul Boy is a 2010 Kenyan drama film, written by Billy Kahora and directed by Hawa Essuman. It developed under the mentorship of German director and producer Tom Tykwer in Kibera, one of the largest slums in the African continent, in the middle of Nairobi, Kenya. The film has received five nominations at the 2011 Africa Movie Academy Awards.
Ma famille is an Ivorian television series. The series "became one of the greatest success stories in the history of Ivorian television production, reaching most Francophone African countries."
Silverbird Galleria is a shopping mall and entertainment centre in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Kalasha Film & TV Awards is an annual accolade presented by Kenya Film Commission with a goal to recognize and celebrate achievers in Kenya's TV and film industry. Entries into the award ceremony are films and TV series that have been aired on Kenyan television stations. The inaugural awards were held in 2010 at the swanky Crowne Plaza in Upper Hill, Nairobi and subsequent awards are held yearly at the last quarter of the year at the same venue. The Awards would represent the five original branches of the Film making: Directors, Actors, Writers, Producers and Technicians. However, the Academy organizers will advise on whether or not to include more categories as long as they sufficiently represent the entire film industry.
Mariama Hima Yankori is a Nigerien film director, ethnologist and politician. She became the first female Nigerien film director in the 1980s, was State Secretary of Promotion of Women and Protection of Children, and later the first female Nigerien ambassador to France.
Hawa Essuman is a film director based in Nairobi, Kenya. Her 2017 feature-length documentary Silas, co-directed with Anjali Neyar, tells the story of Liberian environmental activist Silas Siakor's fight to preserve the country's rainforests from commercial logging. The film won multiple awards, including the Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award (2018) and the Audience Award for best documentary at the Riverrun Film Festival (2018). Hawa's first feature film, Soul Boy (2010), also received a series of awards. In addition, Hawa has produced a range of TV programmes, commercial films, music videos and adverts.
Edouard Sailly is a pioneering Chadian film director, "the first filmmaker in Chad".
Akissi Delta also known as Loukou Akisse Delphine is an Ivorian actress and filmmaker.
The Cut is a 2017 Kenyan film directed by Peter Wangugi Gitau.
Poacher is a 2018 Kenyan / British short film directed by Tom Whitworth. The film received wide international attention after its release in Netflix in September 2020. It also became the first ever Kenyan film to be released via Netflix.
Women are involved in the African film industry in a variety of roles, though they have been underrepresented in creative positions.
Saïkati is a 1992 Kenyan film directed by the filmmaker Anne Mungai. It was the first feature film by a Nairobi-based female filmmaker.
Jane Munene-Murago is a Kenyan filmmaker, the first woman to study film in Kenya. Most of her films have been documentaries, produced through her company CineArts, on issues affecting women.
Serah Mwihaki is a Kenyan actress and scriptwriter. She kicked off her acting career with a lead role in Kenyan Film Dangerous Affairs in 2002. She created TV Series Changes that was adopted by M-NET in 2009 and co-wrote Nairobi Half Life in 2012 and Kidnapped.
Joseph Gaï Ramaka is a Senegalese film director, screen writer and film producer.
