The African Producers Accelerator, an initiative designed to tackle persistent industry barriers faced by mid-career African film and television producers, has selected the six participants who will take part in its 2026 edition.

The producers, who were chosen from 267 applications submitted across 31 countries, are South Africa’s Babalwa Baartman (“ Good Madam ”) and David Franciscus (“ Street Trash ”); Nigeria’s Mimi Bartels (“Adire”) and Abba Makama (“ The Lost Okoroshi ”); Ghana’s Kofi Owusu-Afriyie (“ The Fisherman ”); and Sudan’s Khalid Awad (“ Goodbye Julia ”).

Launched in 2025 by Big World Cinema in collaboration with the Bertha Foundation, the APA looks to craft a response to the industry-specific challenges many African producers face by combining bespoke advisory work, business development support and curated access to investors and international networks.

Popular on Variety

After three months of intensive preparation as part of its sophomore edition, the participants will pitch their projects…