The African film industry is fundamentally shifting its economic power structure, as filmmakers are being urged to move past traditional, dependency-laden distribution channels and embrace digital direct-to-consumer strategies that prioritise innovation, seamless user experience, and pan-African market capture.
“Apart from YouTube, film is not really a business-to-consumer business. It is a producer-to-distributor model that often leaves the producer with minimal control and revenue,” said Laju Iren, a Nigerian filmmaker, noting that moving directly to consumers is a necessary evolution.
This was the dominant takeaway from the Moonshot panel, “Beyond the big screen: How African filmmakers are reimagining cinema.”
On the panel session, Colette Otusheso, CEO of Accelerate TV, also highlighted the importance of market sensitivity and catering to audience demand. “Understand the market and create for the market,” Otusheso said. “Create what they want, not necessarily what they need. You will get your community.”
The rise of digital distribution platforms has created a structural shift in power, challenging the grip of legacy distributors. The UNESCO report on the African Film Industry underscores that the ongoing digital revolution, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is a “real game-changer” that has enabled local production and distribution, allowing filmmakers to bypass traditional “distribution bottlenecks” and connect directly with their audiences.
Iren shared that her first foray selling digital products was part of the thinking that saw her utilising YouTube to distribute her films, a suggestion that a successful entry point may not be a large-scale feature but smaller, digital-only, and easily monetised products that build capital and an audience before venturing into high-budget productions.
Otusheso also stressed the financial confidence required to build a scalable business urging African content creators to be proactive in securing funding and partnerships: “We need to be confident enough to approach brands. Eventually, we now have the brands coming to us.”
Ultimately, the key takeaway for African filmmakers is to think of themselves first as technology-enabled entrepreneurs. They must also strategically leverage short-form content to build an audience, be intentional about sales and anti-piracy, and consciously pursue a pan-African audience by creating content that transcends local borders.