Mzee Bwanika
Every year there is another workshop. Another training. Another conference. Another grant. Yet after all these years, one question remains:
Where are the markets?
Because filmmakers do not build sustainable careers from certificates, they build them by selling films.
This is where we must draw a clear distinction between film and the film industry.
Making a film is an artistic achievement.
Building an industry means creating a system where that film can be licensed, distributed, streamed, exhibited, published and purchased repeatedly.
Without that system, we remain creators without commerce.
The conversation across Africa has focused almost entirely on production while neglecting distribution, audience development and trade. We have been taught how to make films, but not how to build markets for them.
If we are serious about transforming filmmaking into a profession rather than a passion, we must stop waiting for governments, donors or annual “helpers” to solve problems that belong to us.
No individual filmmaker, no matter how talented, can build a market alone.
We need strong guilds.
We need collective bargaining.
We need regional collaboration.
We need distribution networks.
We need digital platforms.
We need publishers.
We need home audiences.
We already have more than we sometimes admit. We have digital streaming platforms. We have movie libraries and retail outlets. We have communities eager to consume stories that reflect their realities. What we need is to organize these assets into functioning markets.
One truth has become increasingly clear to me:
“Anyone who prefers dealing with filmmakers as isolated individuals rather than organized institutions benefits from our fragmentation.”
Across Eastern Africa, we have an opportunity to think differently. Instead of competing in isolation, let us build strong guilds, strengthen our domestic markets, and connect our national markets into a regional ecosystem where African stories are traded, not merely celebrated.
Because film without trade is not an industry ~ it is simply film.
The future of African cinema will not be determined by how many films we produce. It will be determined by how many people can make a sustainable living from them.
My call to every filmmaker, producer, actor and industry leader across Eastern Africa is simple:
“Let’s stop building projects and start building markets. Let’s stop waiting for help and start building systems. Together, we can transform African film from a creative activity into a thriving creative economy.”
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Written by
Mzee Bwanika | Film Producer | Co-founder, Pearlwood | Operations Manager, Stream East FilmsWith 20+ years shaping Uganda’s film industry, I’ve produced over a dozen feature films that spotlight authentic East African stories.
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