Nigerian film producer Funmbi Ogunbanwo, backer of the buzzy Cannes Un Certain Regard player “My Father’s Shadow” – Nigeria’s first-ever selection at the French fest – has been selected as part of the inaugural cohort for the newly launched African Producers Accelerator (APA). The prestigious pilot initiative, developed by South Africa’s Big World Cinema in collaboration with the Bertha Foundation, aims to tackle persistent industry barriers faced by mid-career African film and television producers.
Ogunbanwo joins five other standout producers from across the continent for a 12-week program designed to provide bespoke support and high-level mentorship. Participants include South African Neo Baloyi, producer of Netflix hit “Collision”; Angolan producer Jorge Cohen, co-founder of Geração 80; Josh Olaoluwa, a former EbonyLife producer and alumnus of Red Sea Labs and Biennale Cinema College; prolific South African producer Annemarie Du Plessis, whose film “Carissa” was selected for the Venice Film Festival; and Zimbabwean/South African producer-director Zoe Ramushu, recently nominated at Cannes 2025 for her app that promotes women of color in the film industry.
The initiative was born from a growing recognition that African producers often navigate industry-specific challenges in isolation. The goal is to offer one-on-one advisory sessions, expert consultations and strategic interventions, all tailored to each producer’s specific business and creative needs. The APA seeks to enhance companies’ sustainability, project development, funding strategies and international distribution by fostering a collaborative network that supports producers long-term.
“Having produced in more than 30 countries on the continent with local partners, we see many common challenges with very few routes to overcome them. While we will provide support services to the producers, importantly the program will also create the environment where we will all share our secrets with each other, realize our own power as independent producers other and explore ways to collaborate and support well beyond the three months,” said Steven Markovitz, founder of Big World Cinema (“Rafiki,” “Omen”).
“This pilot edition of the African Producers Accelerator reflects a commitment to long-term, producer-centered development that complements existing industry programs by offering personalized and sustained support,” said Tamsin Ranger, partner at Big World Cinema.
Initially limited to invitees from prominent African film initiatives such as Durban FilmMart, the Realness Institute and the Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab, future editions of the program will feature open calls and expanded alumni services.
