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Why We Care: 
The Somalian-Finnish director of ‘Gravediggers Wife’ Khadar Ayderus Ahmed is among the driving voices for this change. From his view, the film’s nearly universal appeal across the globe is a good thing, proving that filming in Africa is a viable investment and a “tangible way to bridge divides between people and to engage with different cultures” (Amen).  So - when the film wasn’t shortlisted for Best International Picture, there were two main thoughts percolating. The first? There still doesn’t seem to be a desire to elevate African stories in the Academy. The second: we all know the Oscars aren’t inclusive, especially for “foreign” cinema, so why should we care what the voters think? For Ahmed, his dream was the FESPACO Award - which he still pinches himself over.

The pushback against the Best International Picture category is happening within the U.S. as well, with critics decrying the category all together, noting that the films, regardless of origin, are “already among the most vibrant, electric and moving films of the year.” But even after crossover wins from 'Parasite,' ‘Flee’ and ‘Drive My Car,' the “centrality of their ‘foreignness’ remains.”

All the more reason to look to the untrodden, underfunded and underrepresented Global South filmmakers for quality storytelling. It breaks us all out of  the outdated categorizations imposed by the West and encourages cross-cultural understanding and inspiration. We wield the potential to change how all of us view our shared histories.

Speaking of Oscar history….‘Bantú Mama,’ directed by Soleil Short Film Saturdays and Spotlight podcast alum Ivan Herrera, was selected by the Dominican Republic for its Best International Picture submission. Cheers to the team! 

Why We Care: 
On the Western side of the story, the financial success of movies like ‘Black Panther’ are treated with each release like a proof point that diverse (read: diasporic) audiences drive sales and make an unflinching case for more and more on and off-screen representation. Since the first Black Panther, Marvel for one has received the memo. The rest of the U.S. and European markets have been generally slower to recognize the market power of the Global South diasporas despite these earth-shattering premiere weekends. You know our POV though, no one is going to tell the stories of the Global South better than the people who live the cultural intersections, and can make audiences of all cultures feel the nuances and textures that exist all over the world. ‘Black Panther’ is still so needed, so valid, offering the imagination and hope of Afrofuturist ideals - suggesting that a “non-white society could be technologically advanced and be founded upon Afrocentrism rather that Eurocentrism.” As as result, it conveys “a deeper message about the complexity and sophistication of African and Afrodiasporic people as well as the cultures and countries from which they originate.”  Whether it’s money (the Black diaspora boasts a $1.6 Trillion consumer budget) or progress toward the real goal, it’s clear that there’s no excuse or substitute for stories with a non-white or western gaze.

Our feelings about ‘Black Panther’ aside,  the American interpretation of Africa and Afrofuturism often overshadows a prolific, creative and often unsung film industry of its own. According to last year’s UNESCO report, The African Film Industry: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities for Growth reflects the vitality of African cinema, driven by tech. Nollywood releases 2500 films annually enabled by local production and distribution with an independent economic model. Outside of Nigeria, the promise is astronomical but remains largely undervalued despite the continent’s immense talent

The point of representation is not just so no matter who we are or where we were born, we can still see a superhero who looks like us. By giving audiences the permission to imagine and feel other worlds, both lived and imagined  stories have the power to move an underrepresented or misrepresented people into a position of pride in their heritage and a love for their people and culture.  Everyone deserves their Wakanda Forever.