Young African filmmakers are picking up cameras to tell the stories that matter to them. Unfiltered. Unapologetically theirs. Across the continent, indie film collectives are pushing back against the gatekeeping that has long shaped the local film industry. These aren’t just production teams, they’re communities, movements, and safe spaces where creativity leads, identity is honoured, and truth takes centre stage.
Here are seven collectives rewriting the script on their own terms:
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We Are Not the Machine (WANM) – Johannesburg
A radical collective built for and by Black creatives. WANM brings together filmmakers, writers, visual artists, and musicians who want to challenge the rules of the industry and tell stories that feel real. From self-funded short films to video essays and underground screenings, their work is raw, experimental, and rooted in ethical storytelling. Co-founded by Refilwe Seseane, the collective is as much about creative freedom as it is about community.
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Electric South – Cape Town
More incubator than collective, but just as collaborative. Electric South supports African filmmakers working in immersive formats like VR, AR, and 360 video. Based in Cape Town, they help artists push the boundaries of storytelling through tech, while keeping the narrative deeply African. Past collaborators include creatives like Tegan Bristow and Ng’endo Mukii.
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Blackboard Africa Films – Johannesburg
What started as a youth platform has grown into a powerful storytelling space. Blackboard Africa’s film arm creates short films and video content centred on Black consciousness, youth empowerment, and healing. Writers, directors, and performers work across disciplines, producing visuals that speak directly to a generation coming of age in a complex South Africa.
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Generation Africa (STEPS) – Pan-African
Run by South African non-profit STEPS, Generation Africa connects documentary filmmakers across the continent — from Kenya to Nigeria to the DRC. The focus is on migration, youth, and identity, told by those living the experience. Though pan-African in reach, the heart of the project beats strongly in South Africa’s indie film scene.
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Cinewax Collective – Senegal / Kenya / Côte d’Ivoire
Cinewax promotes indie African cinema through pop-up screenings, mobile cinemas, and online platforms. Though partly based in France, their work on the continent – especially in Senegal and East Africa – connects young filmmakers to local audiences and offers alternative routes to visibility beyond the global festival circuit.
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Awotele Film Critics Collective – Africa-wide
They don’t make films, but they shape how they’re seen. Awotele is a collective of African film critics and writers who are challenging Eurocentric film criticism and offering homegrown perspectives. Their role is vital in creating an ecosystem where African cinema is evaluated and celebrated on its own terms.
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Medu Films (Legacy) – Soweto
Though no longer active, the legacy of Medu Arts Ensemble lives on. During apartheid, this underground collective of artists, poets, and filmmakers produced powerful, politically driven media. Today, their rebellious spirit continues to inspire many South African creatives to build their own movements.
Why it matters
These collectives are more than film crews, they are safe spaces, acts of resistance, and vessels for truth. They prove that African cinema doesn’t need to be saved or shaped from the outside. It’s already here, growing, thriving, and speaking for itself.
