Swipe, Watch, Repeat: How Afro & Global Creators Are Reshaping the Microdrama Boom

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The microdrama boom is no longer emerging—it’s already reshaping how content is financed, consumed, and scaled. Across Africa and other global markets, creators are moving fast: testing formats, building audiences in real time, and generating traction without waiting for institutional backing. Yet the landscape remains uneven. Monetisation is still fragmented, platform ecosystems are consolidating, and questions around IP ownership, revenue share, and long-term sustainability are becoming more urgent. At the same time, standout successes are proving that vertical storytelling can travel, convert, and scale globally. This session takes a grounded look at what’s actually working now—where creators are winning, where the gaps remain, and how Afro and global talent can turn short-form momentum into durable, revenue-generating businesses.

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Key Talking Points

• What’s Working Now:  Real-world wins: audience growth, viral formats, and platform traction across markets

• The Monetisation Gap:  Where the money is (and isn’t yet): platform payouts, brand deals, and scalability challenges

• IP Ownership in Fast-Moving Ecosystems:  Who owns what in vertical formats—and how to protect long-term value

• Platform Dependency vs Independence: Navigating reliance on TikTok, YouTube, and emerging vertical drama platforms

• From Momentum to Business: Turning short-form success into sustainable companies, franchises, and long-form opportunities

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Moderator:  Yusuf Abdul-Qadir, Technologist, Filmmaker & Producer, USA

Speaker: 

• Juan Atkins, Renown Record Producer & DJ, Originator of Techno Music Genre, USA

Scaling African Stories Through Cross-Continental Co-Production (Europe, The Americas, GCC, Asia and other emerging markets)

As global demand for authentic, diverse storytelling accelerates, African IP is gaining unprecedented attention—but sustainable pathways to scale remain fragmented. This conversation explores how to move beyond one-off collaborations toward structured, long-term co-production pipelines linking Africa with Europe, The Americas, Asia, GCC and emerging markets. Panelists will unpack financing models, equitable partnerships, rights ownership, distribution strategies, and the role of festivals and markets in bridging ecosystems. The discussion will also address how to position African creators and companies not just as contributors, but as lead IP owners driving globally competitive content.

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Key Talking Points:

• The rising global demand for African stories and the opportunity to scale beyond one-off collaborations

• Building structured, long-term co-production pipelines between Africa, Europe, North America, MENA, and emerging markets

• Financing models: combining public funds, private investment, and international partnerships

• Ensuring equitable partnerships and protecting African IP ownership and creative control

• The role of film markets and festivals as gateways to international collaboration

• Positioning African creators and companies as lead producers, not just contributors

• Creating sustainable ecosystems that support repeat collaborations and industry growth

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Moderator: Carmen Thompson, Head of Distribution & Special Projects, We Are Parable, UK

Speaker: 

• Jean-Marie Teno, Filmmaker, Director, Cameroon

• Tella Kpomahou, Filmmaker, Actress, Director, Guinea Conakry

• Anouar Moatassim, Filmmaker, Director, Founder, Cabablanca Pictures, Morocco

• Andrea Vogt, Journalist, Co-Founder, Head of Productions, Millstream Films & Media, UK +  Italy

Culture urbaine et cinéma : du 113 au petitet grand écran

De la scène mythique du groupe 113 aux écrans de cinéma et de télévision, Mokobé incarne une trajectoire artistique qui traverse les cultures et les formats. Ce panel explore son passage de la musique à l’image, les ponts entre industrie musicale et audiovisuelle, ainsi que les opportunités offertes aux artistes issus du hip-hop pour raconter leurs histoires à l’écran. Entre identité, narration et diversification des talents, une conversation inspirante sur l’évolution d’un artiste vers le petit et le grand écran.

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Modérateur : Serge Noukoué, Founder, Nollywood Week & Okadia Media, France + Benin  

Speaker: Mokobé Traoré “Mokobé”, Recording Artist, Rapper, Writer, France + Mali

Beyond Collaboration: Building Sustainable Africa–Europe Co-Production Pipelines for Global IP

This session positions Zambia as a forward-looking partner in structured Africa–Europe co-production, with a focus on long-term IP development, enabling policy environments, and investment collaboration.

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Moderator: Zoe Ramushu, Actress, Writer, Journalist, Founder, Chiseri Studios, South Africa + Zimbabwe 

Speakers:  

• Kangwa Chileshe, Permanent Secretary – Youth & Sport, Ministry of Youth, Sport & Arts, Zambia

• Speaker 2

Who owns the story in the age of AI?

AI is not emerging in neutral territory. It is being trained on vast cultural archives—images, voices, rhythms, and narratives—many of which originate from African, diasporic, and other historically marginalized communities. As these systems begin to generate stories at scale, the question is no longer simply about innovation, but about who controls the transformation of cultural memory into computational output—and who is credited, compensated, or erased in the process.

For creators across these communities, the challenge is not just authorship, but agency within systems they did not design. When storytelling becomes a function of data extraction and pattern replication, long-standing imbalances risk being reproduced in new forms. This session interrogates how narrative power is shifting beneath the surface—and what it means to assert sovereignty in an ecosystem where culture is continuously mined, remixed, and redistributed.

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Key Themes:

• From Cultural Archive to Training Data:  How creative works and lived histories are absorbed into AI systems without clear attribution or consent.

• Authorship vs. Simulation: The tension between original creation and the replication of voice, style, and perspective by machines.

• Data Extraction and Value Capture: Who benefits economically and structurally when cultural material is transformed into AI-generated content.

• Reclaiming Agency in AI Systems: Pathways for African, diasporic, and diverse creators to influence, own, or redefine the tools shaping their narratives.

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Moderator: Yusuf Abdul-Qadir, Technologist, Filmmaker & Producer, USA 

Speakers: 

• Sten-Kristian Saluveer, Academy Award Nominated Producer & Strategist at the intersection of storytelling, technology, and innovation ecosystems; Strategic Advisor, Cannes Next; Director, MAIEFP, Estonia 

• Petri Kemppinen, Executive producer and audiovisual strategist, CEO of Good Hand Production, and former CEO of Nordisk Film & TV Fond and Aurora Studios, Finland 

• Ene Katrine Rasmussen,  Head of Industry & Continuing Education, National Film School of Denmark; Project Manager, MAIEFP,  Former Head, Creative Europe MEDIA Desk Denmark, EAVE Graduate, Denmark 

• Zoe Ramushu, Actress, Writer, Journalist, Founder, Chiseri Studios, South Africa + Zimbabwe

Swipe, Watch, Repeat: How Afro & Global Creators Are Reshaping the Microdrama Boom

The microdrama boom is no longer emerging—it’s already reshaping how content is financed, consumed, and scaled. Across Africa and other global markets, creators are moving fast: testing formats, building audiences in real time, and generating traction without waiting for institutional backing. Yet the landscape remains uneven. Monetisation is still fragmented, platform ecosystems are consolidating, and questions around IP ownership, revenue share, and long-term sustainability are becoming more urgent. At the same time, standout successes are proving that vertical storytelling can travel, convert, and scale globally. This session takes a grounded look at what’s actually working now—where creators are winning, where the gaps remain, and how Afro and global talent can turn short-form momentum into durable, revenue-generating businesses.

​​

​

Key Talking Points:

• What’s Working Now:  Real-world wins: audience growth, viral formats, and platform traction across markets

• The Monetisation Gap:  Where the money is (and isn’t yet): platform payouts, brand deals, and scalability challenges

• IP Ownership in Fast-Moving Ecosystems:  Who owns what in vertical formats—and how to protect long-term value

• Platform Dependency vs Independence: Navigating reliance on TikTok, YouTube, and emerging vertical drama platforms

• From Momentum to Business: Turning short-form success into sustainable companies, franchises, and long-form opportunities

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Moderator: Yusuf Abdul-Qadir, Technologist, Filmmaker & Producer, USA 

Speakers: 

• Heidi Zwicker, Programmer, Sundance Film Festival, USA

• Nathan Abadadzie, Investment Director, Media Finance Capital, Ghana + UK  

• Oma Areh, Founder, Digital Creator Africa, Vice-President, WIFT Africa, Nigeria

• Till Schmerbeck, Producer, Till Schmerbeck Film production, Germany

Musique, cinéma et narration globale : redéfinir les récits africains

Presentation:

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Cette conversation explore l’évolution de Fally Ipupa en tant qu’artiste global — de ses racines dans la musique congolaise à son expansion dans le cinéma, notamment avec son rôle récent dans Rumba Royale. À une époque où les artistes naviguent entre plusieurs disciplines, Fally incarne une nouvelle génération qui façonne des récits à la fois universels et profondément ancrés dans leur identité culturelle. Cette session examinera comment musique, cinéma et narration s’entrecroisent, et comment préserver son authenticité tout en s’adressant à un public international.

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Axes de discussion :

• De la musique au cinéma : transition d’une carrière musicale internationale vers le jeu d’acteur et la narration

• La rumba comme langage narratif : portée culturelle et historique de la rumba congolaise

• Rumba Royale et au-delà : retour d’expérience sur le passage au cinéma et ses enjeux

• L’artiste comme narrateur : le rôle des musiciens dans la construction des récits contemporains

• Authenticité culturelle et marché global : trouver l’équilibre entre identité et internationalisation

• Propriété et héritage : construire une trajectoire artistique durable et maîtrisée

• Le futur : développement vers la production, les contenus et l’influence culturelle globale

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Moderator: Deadline

Guest: Fally Ipupa, Singer, Actor, France + DR Congo

Film Marketing & Promotion in the Creator Era

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In today’s market, films don’t fail at release—they fail long before production begins. With buyers, streamers, and festivals increasingly looking for built-in audiences and cultural momentum, marketing is no longer an afterthought but a core part of development. From Cannes premieres to TikTok rollouts, this panel challenges traditional models and explores how filmmakers and producers can package projects with audience, visibility, and demand from day one—across feature films, series, and vertical formats.

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Key Themes:

• No Audience = No Deal: Why financiers, distributors, and even festivals are prioritizing projects with proven traction

• Festival Strategy as Marketing Engine: Leveraging festivals for press, sales, partnerships, and global positioning

• Creators vs Traditional Campaigns: How influencers, talent, and digital-native creators are reshaping film promotion

• From Long-Form to Vertical Content:  Building multi-format campaigns that extend across feature films, series, and short/mobile-first content

• Marketing Starts at Development: Integrating audience-building, community, and visibility into the project from day one

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Moderator: Serge Noukoué, Founder, Nollywood Week, Okadia Media Distribution, France + Benin

Speaker:

• Azize Tan, Film Festival Director & Programmer, Istanbul Foundation for Culture & Arts, Istanbul Film Festival, Turkiye

• Karl Hillbrick, Film Marketing Specialist, Founder, InFilmPact, Germany + EU

• Salim Fayad, Director, MUICA African Film Festival, Colombia

• Faridah Gbadamosi, Senior Film Programmer & Curator, Tribeca Film Festival, USA

• Mimi Plauché, Director, Chicago International Film Festival, USA

• Robyn Citizen, Film Programmer, Toronto International Film Festival , Canada 

Zambia Cocktail Reception