In recent years, the African film industry has piqued global interest, with films such as Alter Ego, Lion Heart, Beast of No Nation, Shanty Town, Blood and Water, King of Boys, Blood Sisters, and others becoming popular streaming platforms.
According to UNESCO data, Africa’s film and audiovisual industries generate an estimated $5 billion in revenue and employ approximately 5 million people. Nonetheless, the majority of the continent’s economic potential in these industries remains largely untapped.
The African film industry has progressed to the point where its films can now be seen on large screens throughout the Western world and are nominated for Oscars and other recognized international film festivals.
Instead of only watching foreign films, Africa has grown to appreciate its own domestic productions. A new generation of African filmmakers is dedicated to telling authentic African stories that the Western world will appreciate. Contemporary African films have evolved into a vehicle for both quality entertainment and the celebration of the continent’s distinct culture.
According to a Statista analysis conducted from November 2020 to May 2021, Africa produced 5,500 movies per year on average, with the majority of these films produced in West and East Africa.
Nollywood, Africa’s most well-known film industry, is now worth more than $800 million. It has grown at a breakneck pace over the last two decades, surpassing Hollywood (USA) and trailing only Bollywood (India) in terms of global film releases.
Aside from large-scale productions, there has been a more noticeable shift in recent years toward top-tier productions that receive global acclaim and are even accepted for inclusion on global movie streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. This is not to say that there hadn’t been some excellent productions before that.
African countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Tanzania, Egypt, and Mozambique have dominated the continent’s film industry and are increasing their production efforts. Given their acceptance on several major distribution and streaming platforms, African films will quickly gain worldwide popularity and acceptance.
