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Tambay Obenson Profile picture
Tambay Obenson
@TambayObenson
Founded Shadow & Act LLC, 2009. Sold to Blavity Inc, 2017. Staff writer at IndieWire 2018-2022. Now building @akorokoafrica, an African cinema platform!
Apr 13, 2023 • 20 tweets • 9 min read
#Netflix has dropped a 45-page report on its "Africa adventures" from 2016-2022. I just received it. I'll go through it and share highlights in this thread, so this may take all day... 🤪 Image Intro statements from Shola Sanni Director of Public Policy, sub-Saharan Africa Netflix; and Dean Garfield VP, Public Policy. In a nutshell, Netflix is excited about the future of its presence in Africa and bringing Africa to the world. ImageImage
Apr 13, 2023 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
Main selection announcement was made while I was sleeping, here on the West Coast. Two titles on my predictions list made the cut: Baloji's AUGURE (DRC) and Ramata-Toulaye Sy's BANEL & ADAMA (Senegal). Sidebar announcements still to come, so the rest of these might get slots... New to me selections... GOODBYE JULIA by Sudanese filmmaker Mohamed Kordofani, his feature debut | Un Certain Regard | I'm now told that this is historic as the first Sudanese film to be an official selection in Cannes history. I have not confirmed this yet. But it's likely.
Mar 10, 2023 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
Catching up on EFM panels I missed in Berlin in Feb. Thankful they were taped. Watching "Prime Video: International Content Strategy from Nordics to Nigeria" hoping to learn something about Amazon's Nigeria plans. Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu Head of Nigerian Originals, is on the panel... Wangi on what she looks for in projects: "Light" stories; stay away from the dark material. Leaning more towards films than TV because TV is "a bit more technical." She wouldn't mind historical fiction, but they tend to be expensive, so don't expect epic productions. #Nollywood
Feb 15, 2023 • 9 tweets • 6 min read
On my way...! ✈️✈️✈️ #Berlinale #EFM #AkorokoAtBerlinale A two-for-two special... #Berlinale2023 begins. #AkorokoAtBerlinale Image
Jan 19, 2023 • 18 tweets • 15 min read
#Sundance Day 1. Shorts so far. A standout: Crystal Kayiza's "Rest Stop." Beautifully shot tender portrait a Ugandan-American mother and daughter traveling by bus from NY to OK to reunite with family. Will Ferrell is listed as exec producer. I assume it's him #AkorokoAtSundance Image More shorts. Standout: Norwegian Inga E Marakatt's "Unborn Biru": pregnant widow steals cursed silver from dead body to care for daughter. Unnerving slow burn horror, especially considering the tundra on which it was shot. It's a feature film begging to happen #AkorokoAtSundance
Oct 13, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
That was then. Today? Image ... Image
Oct 12, 2022 • 4 tweets • 4 min read
It's "next week!" As promised, as part of our ongoing fundraising campaign, we're giving away subscriptions to our fave streaming platforms. We've given away subscriptions to Criterion and MUBI. This week, we're giving away TWO annual subscriptions to @kweliTV. Read on... @kweliTV We're giving away TWO year-long kweliTV subscriptions. To enter, sign up for the
@akorokoafrica
weekly newsletter. The deadline is Thursday, Oct. 13 at 11:59 PM PST. The two winners will be selected randomly and announced on Friday, Oct. 14. Register: akoroko.com/newsletter/ Image
Sep 18, 2022 • 27 tweets • 10 min read
Historically, much of the discourse about the African continent painted a broad picture of hopelessness, and desperation across the continent. And that includes its cinema. The international media (film and television especially) certainly played a significant role in shaping those perceptions. The last decade has seen a 180-degree shift, presenting an Africa that’s “on the rise.” Is it?
Sep 17, 2022 • 6 tweets • 4 min read
Thanks to everyone who's supported in one way or another so far. First full day of the campaign in the books and just over 3% of the minimum goal raised. A number of events planned for the duration of the 30-day campaign, including an unprecedented conversation series with 30 film and television professionals serving the African space. Here are some of them...
Sep 16, 2022 • 17 tweets • 10 min read
It's a tiny "team" (one full-time and one part-time person) right now. For the platform to be effective, it will need a few more people; hence this campaign to raise funds so that I can bring in more people to distribute the load, and accelerate certain components. When I was chief at Shadow and Act (2009-2017), industry consensus was that there was a whole team behind the operation. Folks were shocked when they learned that it was almost entirely a one-man operation. I work hard — "work ethic," as Tyler Perry would say :-) — BUUTTT....
Dec 27, 2017 • 25 tweets • 6 min read
"I Am Not a Witch" French release trailer allocine.fr/video/player_g… Meet the filmmaker, who I'm excited about, given her past work. I'm sure American audiences will be hearing much more about her in 2018, once the film is picked up for USA distribution: Rungano Nyoni | "I Am Not a Witch" | Directors' Fortnight Q&A