Poetically, the end of Showmax coincided with the start of Africa Month.
Publicist Kevin Kriedemann had worked with the streaming platform since its very first Original, Tali’s Wedding Diary. When he suddenly found himself with free time for the first time in a decade, he set a challenge: explore Africa by watching one local film a day throughout May.
Three weeks in, he is still going strong. Everything he has watched so far is free to stream on YouTube – a platform that now reaches more people than Netflix and Spotify combined.
“So far I’ve watched four Oscar nominees, a double Emmy nominee, and winners from Berlin, Cannes, IDFA and Sundance,” says Kriedemann. “These represent 15 African countries and more than 180 million YouTube views. It’s been really fun: not much of a challenge at all. These aren’t good African films; they are good films. Period.”
YouTube: The New Home for African Cinema?
As major streaming platforms shift their strategies, a distribution crisis is quietly brewing across the continent:
Showmax has relaunched with a narrower focus.
– Prime Video and Paramount are retreating from commissioning African content.
– Netflix appears primarily focused on Nigeria and South Africa.
– Algorithms are aggressively pushing the wider industry toward melodrama, reality TV and true crime.
While African content is better than it has ever been, Kriedemann notes that there are fewer buyers for local projects now, not more. Even massive, Oscar-nominated titles like District 9, Timbuktu, Io Capitano and Hotel Rwanda are currently unavailable to stream in South Africa.
In the wake of this corporate retreat, YouTube has quietly stepped in to fill the gap. However, discovery remains a major hurdle. While some films boast views in the millions, other cinematic gems are completely lost in the noise:
Youth (Egypt): A celebrated Vimeo Staff Pick short film, yet it sits at under 3,000 views on YouTube.
Liyana (Eswatini): One of the most awarded African documentaries ever made, but it has under 2,000 views.
“YouTube has the content and the audience, but for now the best African films are scattered across multiple channels and easy to miss,” Kriedemann explains. “Gorgeous African films are still flying under the radar, as they always have.”
Fighting Fragmentation with Human Curation
To counter this digital drift, Kriedemann has launched a dedicated YouTube channel to gather these scattered films into one accessible hub, alongside a Substack newsletter to provide cultural and industry context for each daily watch.
For Africa Day, he is encouraging audiences across the continent and the diaspora to swap doomscrolling for cultural exploration. The goal is simple: visit a neighboring country via a shortlist curated by a human, completely for free.
Ultimately, Kriedemann – who pitched the initial idea for the pan-African Disney+ anthology Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire – hopes this project will help bridge a historic regional divide.
“The reality is that a pan-African film audience doesn’t exist yet,” Kriedemann admits. “The only title I worked on at Showmax that topped the charts across all key territories was The Real Housewives of Lagos. It’s hard to convince Nigerians to watch South African films, or South Africans to watch Kenyan films. Being divided and conquered is another thing we all have in common.”
Documentaries
Bobi Wine: The People’s President | Uganda
A pop star runs for president in Uganda. Can he end Museveni’s 35-year-reign?
Oscar nominee: Best Documentary
Liyana | eSwatini
Gcina Mhlope guides orphans in eSwatini through choosing the story they want to tell.
35 international awards, including Best Documentary at LA Film Festival and the Grand Prize at New York International Children’s Film Festival
Mama Africa | Guinea & South Africa
The unforgettable story of Miriam Makeba, the first African to win a Grammy.
Audience Award, Berlin
Sisters in Law | Cameroon
In a small courthouse in Cameroon, two women – a prosecutor and court president – are determined to change a village.
Audience Award, IDFA
92% critics rating, Rotten Tomatoes
Softie | Kenya
Photojournalist Boniface “Softie” Mwangi runs for office in a regional Kenyan election, which puts pressure on his young family and his idealism.
Editing Prize, Sundance
The Flood | Botswana
From desert to delta to savannah, two things never change in the Okavango: it is always beautiful and always deadly.
Nominated for Emmys for its cinematography and Angela Bassett’s narration
Films
Goodbye Julia | Sudan
Just before the secession of South Sudan, a married former singer from the north seeks redemption for causing the death of a southern man.
Freedom Prize: Un Certain Regard, Cannes
Nairobi Half Life | Kenya
Mwas arrives in Nairobi to become an actor but his first role is as a real-life gangster.
• AFI Fest Breakthrough Audience Award.
• Top 10, Audience Award, Rotterdam
• 2.5 million views on YouTube
Supa Modo | Kenya
An ode to escapism, Supa Modo shows that it takes a village to raise a superhero.
Winner of over 40 international awards, including Best European Children’s Film from the European Children’s Film Association, and a Special Mention at Berlin in the Generation KPlus category.