The push to strengthen African storytelling infrastructure is gaining serious momentum. Through the Next Narrative Africa Fund (NNAF), a new financing pipeline is opening up for filmmakers and TV creators across the continent.
The initiative is rolling out a $40 million commercial content fund alongside a $10 million venture studio, designed to back African creators developing films, television projects, and other narrative-driven media. The fund aims to build the systems needed for African storytelling to scale.
The fund has unveiled its inaugural slate of nine film and television projects, selected from over 2,000 global submissions. The slate includes works linked to established creators such as Trevor Noah, Rapman, and Thuso Mbedu, spanning genres from action and political thrillers to sci‑fi romance and fantasy musicals.
Some of the projects include: Beyond Day Zero, a South African action film produced by Trevor Noah’s Day Zero Productions and starring Sanaz Yamin, Rebekah Cheyne, Kevin Schmutzler, and Toby Schmutzler. Another South African entry, Skunk, is an action drama featuring Thuso Mbedu, who also co-wrote and produced the film, alongside Vee Mpakanyiswa and Megan Kruger. From Nigeria, the fund is supporting Innocent, a Lagos-set whodunnit directed by Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri, as well as an untitled Sierra Leone–UK political thriller co-written and directed by Rapman.
Sudan is represented with two politically charged projects: About Love, a thriller directed by Mohamed Kordofani, and September Laws, a political drama also directed by Kordofani. Ghana contributes with United States of Africa, a spy thriller created by Carl Kwesi Earl-Ocran, and The Return, a comedy-horror directed by Zoey Martinson. Nigeria is also represented with Bako, a sci-fi romance directed by Boma Iluma. Rounding out the slate is Jollof Wars, a West African musical comedy fantasy directed by Hamid Ibrahim and starring Banky W, Adesua Etomi, and Oluwanifewa “Nife” Agunbiade.
These initial nine projects collectively represent over $60 million worth of production value preceding financing, signaling both the ambition and scale the fund is chasing.
The aim is to support roughly 125 scripts and finance 20–25 projects, with the fund typically covering up to ~20% of a production’s budget while creators secure additional financing from partners and distributors. A key eligibility requirement is that at least 50% of principal photography be shot on the African continent, ensuring that the economic impact stays rooted locally.
The Next Narrative Africa Fund is ambitious in scope as much as it is in dollar value. It is committed to building an ecosystem where African stories are financed, produced, and distributed on their own commercial merits. By backing high-potential projects and leveraging data-driven financing, the Fund aims to shift global perceptions, create sustainable jobs, and help African creators retain more IP ownership of their work.
