The Mati Diop Cannes Win That Amplified African Cinema's Rich Legacy

Before her win, she told the Associated Press that it hadn’t occurred to her that she was the first Black female filmmaker to have competed for the Grand Prix at the time. “I found it quite sad,” she said. “I thought, ‘Oh, is it?’ So there’s still a long way to go before it becomes something completely natural and normal and something that’s not noticeable – the fact that I’m a black woman.”

Her winning film, Atlantics, a tale of love and migration, set in Dakar, was also later acquired by Netflix, further taking African storytelling to a wider audience. More than half a decade later, African cinema has evolved into a compelling, gigantic machine, charting its own course and using the form to address pertinent socio-cultural issues.

Fellow Senegalese filmmaker Moe Sow reflects on the impact of Diop’s win: “It definitely helped boost our confidence and inspired aspiring filmmakers from across Africa,” Sow tells OkayAfrica. “It validated African cinema and perspectives, demonstrating that African stories, told by Africans, were worthy of international acclaim.”

Like many, Sow first discovered Diop’s work through Atlantics, which was also her feature film debut. “[Diop’s] films, like mine and that of several other African filmmakers, help to decolonise minds,” Sow says. “She is on the path of re-establishing historical truth about African culture and people. African music is on a clear path of taking over the world, and I think the same can happen with African cinema.”

Writer and filmmaker Dika Ofoma agrees that Diop's work resonated on a deeper level. “I was inspired more by the film and its content than the success of it, really,” Ofoma says. “It was innovative filmmaking, and as a young person who was still aspiring to be a filmmaker at the time, I was inspired.”

Ofoma says he returns to Atlantics often. “It has all these grand themes about imperialism and neo-colonialism and immigration but at the heart of it is a love story, a love that stays in spite of death. I find that really powerful. I’m very much interested in stories about love and how the feelings of love transcend the physical and mortal.”

Diop’s historic win came at a pivotal time. African cinema was entering an exciting new age - one defined by the entry of streamers like Netflix and Prime Video, and increased investment in the film and entertainment industry. Netflix acquired Lionheart by Nigerian actress and producer Genevieve Nnaji, and later rolled out other projects like Blood and Water (South Africa), Blood Sisters (Nigeria), Far From Home (Nigeria), and How To Ruin Christmas (South Africa).

In 2023, Editi Effiong’s The Black Book broke several records for the thrilling drama that examined the underbelly of crime and politics through the eyes of a former soldier. It garnered over 17 million views after its release and was in the Top Ten of 69 countries on Netflix.

And away from streamers, African filmmakers have been redefining the concept and perception of African cinema. CJ Obasi, Rungano Nyoni, Akinola Davies Jr (whose debut feature My Father’s Shadowreceived the Special Mention for Caméra d’or at this year’s Cannes), Phillipe Lacote, Macherie Ekwa Bahango, and many others have emerged across different parts of the continent. Obasi’s film Mami Wata was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, while Nyoni’s outstanding and critically acclaimed film On Becoming A Guinea Fowl was acquired by A24 and won Best Director at the British Independent Film Awards as well as the Directing Prize of Un Certain Regard at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Perhaps the most crucial takeaway from Diop’s win isn’t merely that African cinema needed validation or was suffering from underexposure, instead, Diop’s win is a continuation of the incredible contributions of great African filmmakers like Ousmane Sembène, Ola Balogun, Safi Faye, Tsitsi Dangaremgba, and many more. Diop’s win, more than anything, stands as a reminder of the rich and audacious film legacy that has always existed in Africa, not the scarcity of it.

“Every success of an African filmmaker supports other African filmmakers,” video artist and filmmaker Tobi Onabolu says. “[Diop] coming to the forefront is based on the [legacy] of the filmmakers who came before her.”

Through the efforts of these filmmakers, among other factors, the African film industry has seen measures of growth, generating about $5 billion in revenue and creating around 5 million jobs each year, even with a range of infrastructural issues and dwindling cinema culture. These challenges often prevent important milestones from building momentum or expanding opportunities for filmmakers from the continent.

“It’s still an industry without a solid structure, and so oftentimes the success of one individual filmmaker doesn’t replicate across the continent, or even in the country where the filmmaker is from,” Ofoma says.

Still, African filmmakers continue to create bold, resonant work that reflects the depth and diversity of the continent. Every story and every win is part of a much larger movement that expands the possibilities for African cinema.

“Truth is, before Atlantics, African filmmakers have been making daring, innovative films,” Ofoma says. “They’ve just not been spotlighted in that way. But I am hoping that with each individual success, interest grows in African films and gives room for more investments here.”