Award-winning actor CCH Pounder is helping to spearhead the expansion of the Cross Continental Forum (CCF), an international co-production platform connecting producers across Africa and the global diaspora, as the initiative moves its 2026 edition to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
For more information and to apply before April 15, 2026, visit:
👉 www.decolonisingcoproduction.com/apply/
The move is being made in partnership with UMEDA, the economic development agency for the Pietermaritzburg Midlands, and South African production company Pambili Media. The partnership reflects growing interest in building stronger co-production links between Africa, the Caribbean and diaspora markets as demand increases for globally relevant stories and talent.
“KwaZulu-Natal is ready to engage the global screen economy in new ways, Partnering with the Cross Continental Forum connects our region’s creative industries with international producers, while positioning the Midlands as a gateway for collaboration between Africa and the global marketplace.”
CCF’s 2026 theme Bridging Markets, Building Futures focuses on strengthening Black authorship and Global South leadership in international co-productions, so that producers enter partnerships as originating partners and rights holders, and creative control and intellectual property remain rooted in the communities where the stories begin.
“For us at Pambili Media, this partnership is about creating the conditions for meaningful collaboration — where projects can be developed locally while building the international relationships they need to travel globally,”
Sydney Masina, partner at Pambili Media
“Creating strong business connections between Africa and the Diaspora will be the great success story of the 21st Century, one that will be increasingly rewarding and profitable as we move forward,”
US based Pambili partner Steven Adams, who has a long history of working between Africa and the United States
Launched by CaribbeanTales Media Group in 2024, the Cross Continental Forum brings together film and television producers from Africa, the Caribbean, Canada, Europe, and the Americas with potential co-production partners.
“Creation, to me, is our most powerful act of connection, Expanding the Cross Continental Forum to South Africa allows us to turn shared heritage into shared enterprise — creatively, economically and strategically.”
CCH Pounder, Award Winning Actor, and CCF Steering Group Member
After two successful editions in Barbados, the 2026 program will begin with an in-person gathering in the Pietermaritzburg Midlands, KwaZulu-Natal, from July 20–26, presented in partnership with UMEDA and Pambili Media. The program will then continue during the Toronto International Film Festival Market (Sept. 8–13), followed by four weeks of virtual labs and curated B2B matchmaking sessions.
“The Cross Continental Forum was designed from the outset to move between locations across the Global South, It is part of a long-term effort to build sustainable co-production pipelines linking African, Caribbean, and diaspora producers to the global screen marketplace.”
Frances-Anne Solomon, Founder and CEO, CaribbeanTales Media Group
Applications are now open to Black producers and producers of Global Majority descent from Canada, the Caribbean, Africa, the U.K., Europe, and South/Latin America.
Applications close April 15, with a limited number of bursaries available.
