Blue Pictures CEO Joy Odiete has announced the launch of Blue Pictures South Africa, a Pan-African motion picture distribution company that expands the long-term industry strategy of SIRA – The African Hub.
The South African expansion is being led by Odiete in partnership with Trevor Logan Pillay, director of Adonai Holdings, who joins the venture as a strategic and operational partner. Pillay will oversee the company’s regional rollout, infrastructure development, and cross-border execution across Southern Africa.
The launch represents a practical extension of SIRA, the trade-focused platform Odiete introduced to address long-standing gaps between African film visibility and global market access. At the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF50), SIRA debuted with curated screenings and industry engagements designed to connect African filmmakers directly with international buyers, distributors, and studios.
Speaking previously to Nollywire, Odiete described SIRA as a corrective to festival exposure without commercial outcomes, arguing that African cinema must move beyond applause into structured trade and deal-making. Blue Pictures South Africa formalises that approach with a dedicated distribution hub positioned to support co-productions, rights negotiations, and multi-territory releases.
Blue Pictures South Africa is structured to reduce the fragmentation that often separates African film industries along regional lines. Rather than operating within siloed markets, the company aims to create a unified distribution framework linking film markets in Lagos, Accra, Nairobi, and Johannesburg.
According to Odiete, the South Africa expansion is not a symbolic move but a business decision rooted in existing operations. Blue Pictures previously launched its AVAZ FAST channel first in South Africa, where it has recorded strong performance within the country’s television and streaming ecosystem. She says the new office allows the company to operate closer to markets where deals are structured, conversations happen, and production partnerships are formed.
Odiete, who has spent decades working across theatrical and home entertainment distribution, has brokered partnerships with international studios and supported the global circulation of African films through Blue Pictures Entertainment. Her work under SIRA also includes talent development and international market access initiatives, including the nomination of producer Todimu Adegoke for the European Film Market (EFM) Toolbox Programme 2026, a Berlinale-linked development platform focused on global market readiness.
Trevor Logan Pillay joins the company as a managing partner, bringing over a decade of experience across cinema exhibition, production, and distribution in South Africa. His involvement provides the operational structure required to scale Blue Pictures’ continental ambitions with South Africa as a key base.
Blue Pictures South Africa says it will work with filmmakers, investors, and industry partners to expand access to theatrical, digital, and alternative exhibition platforms, aligning distribution with the broader trade objectives of SIRA.
