The Black Star International Film Festival (BSIFF) and Majestic Cinemas, Ivory Coast’s largest cinema chain, are spearheading a groundbreaking push into Francophone West Africa, joined by Cinekita, a leading post-production and dubbing house. As Africa’s creative economy accelerates, English-speaking filmmakers are setting their sights on new audiences and fresh frontiers.
The alliance is designed to bring English-language African films to Francophone territories, beginning with Ivory Coast, while also reversing the flow by introducing French-language African films to English-speaking regions. With Cinekita providing professional-grade dubbing and subtitling, the collaboration represents a bold step toward building a more connected and commercially viable African film industry.
“This is not just a distribution deal. It is a cultural bridge,” said Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante, founder of BSIFF. “For too long, African filmmakers have been separated by language and colonial legacy. With this partnership, we’re creating a new model of collaboration, one that respects local identities while strengthening Pan-African unity through cinema.”
Founded in Accra in 2016, BSIFF has grown into one of Africa’s most influential platforms for cultural exchange, and 2025 marks its 10th anniversary. Over the past decade, the festival has consistently championed dialogue across borders and the power of African storytelling. This new partnership is its most ambitious move yet, shifting from advocacy to direct industry impact.
Across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa, English-speaking filmmakers are producing globally acclaimed content, yet much of it remains unseen by Francophone audiences. Ivory Coast, with its vibrant cinema culture and expanding infrastructure, offers a natural launchpad. Majestic Cinemas, which operates theatres across Abidjan, Bouaké, and Yamoussoukro, provides the distribution footprint, while Cinekita brings expertise in dubbing, subtitling, and post-production.
The collaboration will cover theatrical screenings of English-language African films with French subtitles or dubbing in Ivory Coast, the showcasing of Francophone films in English-speaking African countries via selected partners, co-hosted premieres and cultural exchange events, and the creation of a technical pipeline to adapt films for multilingual audiences.
“This partnership is historic,” said Nancy Aka, CEO of Majestic Cinemas. “It marks the beginning of a truly African cinematic network, one where borders blur, stories travel, and audiences grow.”
One of the greatest hurdles in African cinema has always been language. Despite shared cultural heritage, English and French continue to divide audiences and limit access to stories. Subtitling and dubbing—often overlooked in intra-African film distribution—are now central to this initiative. With Cinekita onboard, filmmakers will finally have the tools to prepare their films for multilingual release, opening doors to wider audiences, new licensing opportunities, and co-productions that transcend borders.
For BSIFF, this move reflects a broader strategy: building sustainable intra-African distribution models that empower filmmakers and strengthen cultural exchange. As Asante explained, “We are reimagining what film festivals can do, not just to celebrate film, but to distribute it, amplify it, and move it across borders. Africa is ready for this.”
This initiative signals the dawn of a new Pan-African cinematic ecosystem, one where language becomes a bridge rather than a barrier. With BSIFF’s leadership, Majestic Cinemas’ reach, and Cinekita’s technical expertise, African stories are set to travel further and resonate more powerfully than ever before. Ghana may be the Black Star of Africa, but the spotlight is now firmly Pan-African. The future of African cinema is not just local or global; it is interconnected, inclusive, and unapologetically African.
