Tambay Obenson
@tambay.bsky.social
Founded Shadow & Act LLC, 2009. Sold to Blavity Inc, 2017. Staff writer at IndieWire 2018-2022. Now building akoroko.com. WE'RE FUNDRAISING: http://bit.ly/akoroko
The only report of its kind: African Box Office 2025 — A Measured View of the Continent’s Theatrical Revenue akoroko.com/african-box-...
November 27, 2025 at 4:52 PM
The only report of its kind: African Box Office 2025 — A Measured View of the Continent’s Theatrical Revenue akoroko.com/african-box-...
Launching the Prize at the S16 Film Festival in Lagos, Nigeria, in two weeks!
November 20, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Launching the Prize at the S16 Film Festival in Lagos, Nigeria, in two weeks!
Discussing the afterlives of African films at the University of Cambridge a few days ago...
November 20, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Discussing the afterlives of African films at the University of Cambridge a few days ago...
Been quite a year for me and the platforms I'm building. But 2025 is not done with me yet. Next: honored to have been invited to speak at the University of Cambridge during a symposium organized around the 60th anniversary of Ousmane Sembène’s landmark film. Details: crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/47520/
October 19, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Been quite a year for me and the platforms I'm building. But 2025 is not done with me yet. Next: honored to have been invited to speak at the University of Cambridge during a symposium organized around the 60th anniversary of Ousmane Sembène’s landmark film. Details: crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/47520/
Good company... #SanSebastianFilmFestival
September 24, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Good company... #SanSebastianFilmFestival
Old Town, San Sebastián...
September 24, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Old Town, San Sebastián...
September 24, 2025 at 1:41 PM
MY FATHER'S SHADOW comes home, opening in Nigerian cinemas on Sept 19. I was at the Cannes premiere. My review of the film (among this year's most popular subscriber newsletters) is online. Read for FREE: A Son’s Reconstruction of a Father Lost to Lagos and History — akoroko.com/my-fathers-s...
September 18, 2025 at 4:04 PM
MY FATHER'S SHADOW comes home, opening in Nigerian cinemas on Sept 19. I was at the Cannes premiere. My review of the film (among this year's most popular subscriber newsletters) is online. Read for FREE: A Son’s Reconstruction of a Father Lost to Lagos and History — akoroko.com/my-fathers-s...
Does Trump continue unabated? Apparently. The pattern: push a boundary; meet little meaningful resistance; normalize it. Republicans do nothing; Democrats can’t or won’t; and what was unthinkable yesterday, is a precedent tomorrow. There's no scenario where that cycle ends well for anyone...
ABC announced that it was pulling Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show “indefinitely” after his comments about Charlie Kirk’s death. nyti.ms/46vgZl3
September 18, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Does Trump continue unabated? Apparently. The pattern: push a boundary; meet little meaningful resistance; normalize it. Republicans do nothing; Democrats can’t or won’t; and what was unthinkable yesterday, is a precedent tomorrow. There's no scenario where that cycle ends well for anyone...
What happened when 11 Nigerian filmmakers explored the national audiovisual archive and produced new shorts, linking past moving images to present-day discourse on identity and politics...? akoroko.com/nigerian-fil...
September 16, 2025 at 8:12 PM
What happened when 11 Nigerian filmmakers explored the national audiovisual archive and produced new shorts, linking past moving images to present-day discourse on identity and politics...? akoroko.com/nigerian-fil...
Much thanks to OkayAfrica for the piece 🙌🏾 www.okayafrica.com/how-african-...
August 29, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Much thanks to OkayAfrica for the piece 🙌🏾 www.okayafrica.com/how-african-...
Africa at Venice 2025 → the largest footprint in the festival’s history: 25+ projects across Competition, Critics’ Week, Venice Days, Biennale College, Final Cut, Gap-Financing, Book Adaptation.
Festival runs Aug 27–Sept 6.
Subscribe for full breakdown and analysis: akoroko.com/localpricing/
Festival runs Aug 27–Sept 6.
Subscribe for full breakdown and analysis: akoroko.com/localpricing/
August 27, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Africa at Venice 2025 → the largest footprint in the festival’s history: 25+ projects across Competition, Critics’ Week, Venice Days, Biennale College, Final Cut, Gap-Financing, Book Adaptation.
Festival runs Aug 27–Sept 6.
Subscribe for full breakdown and analysis: akoroko.com/localpricing/
Festival runs Aug 27–Sept 6.
Subscribe for full breakdown and analysis: akoroko.com/localpricing/
News on the March! deadline.com/2025/08/pan-...
August 26, 2025 at 4:16 PM
News on the March! deadline.com/2025/08/pan-...
August 22, 2025, Unseen Nairobi, African Film Press (AFP)—a pan-African alliance that includes Akoroko, Sinema Focus, and What Kept Me Up—held its first public-facing gathering.
It was the beginning of a series of intimate gatherings we plan to hold across the continent. Up next, Lagos, Nigeria.
It was the beginning of a series of intimate gatherings we plan to hold across the continent. Up next, Lagos, Nigeria.
August 23, 2025 at 3:28 PM
August 22, 2025, Unseen Nairobi, African Film Press (AFP)—a pan-African alliance that includes Akoroko, Sinema Focus, and What Kept Me Up—held its first public-facing gathering.
It was the beginning of a series of intimate gatherings we plan to hold across the continent. Up next, Lagos, Nigeria.
It was the beginning of a series of intimate gatherings we plan to hold across the continent. Up next, Lagos, Nigeria.
August 20, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Part 2: African Film Press (AFP) takes baby steps into distribution...
August 16, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Part 2: African Film Press (AFP) takes baby steps into distribution...
Honored to have been invited to present a paper during this University of Cambridge symposium in November, organized around the 60th anniversary of Sembène’s seminal work "La Noire de..." Deets on the conference, which is titled "La Noire de... at 60" 👉🏾 www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/47520/
August 16, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Honored to have been invited to present a paper during this University of Cambridge symposium in November, organized around the 60th anniversary of Sembène’s seminal work "La Noire de..." Deets on the conference, which is titled "La Noire de... at 60" 👉🏾 www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/47520/
The time has come... 🙏🏾
August 15, 2025 at 5:42 PM
The time has come... 🙏🏾
The Akoroko project tracking database now holds 300+ African and diaspora feature films in development, captured since 2022. Premium subscribers received a snapshot as of July 2025. It’s a glimpse into a growing pipeline of African feature films at various stages: akoroko.com/tracking-afr...
August 3, 2025 at 5:40 PM
The Akoroko project tracking database now holds 300+ African and diaspora feature films in development, captured since 2022. Premium subscribers received a snapshot as of July 2025. It’s a glimpse into a growing pipeline of African feature films at various stages: akoroko.com/tracking-afr...