Six mid-career film producers from Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, and Ghana have completed the African Producers Accelerator (APA) 2026 cohort, a 12-week programme culminating in a Cape Town lab and investor meetings. The initiative, led by Steven Markovitz and Tamsin Ranger, selected the six from 267 applications across 31 African countries. Participants received one-on-one strategy sessions, masterclasses, and consultations to refine their company pitches and financing plans. The in-person phase took place in May, with the full programme ending in July.
The cohort includes Abba T. Makama and Mimi Bartels of Nigeria, Babalwa Baartman and David Franciscus of South Africa, Khalid Awad of Sudan, and Kofi Owusu-Afriyie of Ghana. They presented their project slates to investors during the Cape Town lab and at the Durban FilmMart, with another investor session scheduled for CANEX WKND in Lagos. The APA is presented by Big World Cinema and supported by the Bertha Foundation, Ford Foundation, Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), and South Africa's National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF). The programme targets producers whose work has already reached international platforms but who still face structural barriers in scaling their businesses.
Abba T. Makama and Mimi Bartels joining a pan-African producer cohort signals a shift toward structured business development for filmmakers used to project-based survival. If investor follow-through matches the access promised, Nigerian production companies could gain leverage beyond festival buzz. The real test comes when pitches made in Cape Town and Durban turn into funded slates with measurable returns.
Editorial note: AI-assisted opinion, not established fact. Full disclaimer →
