…KAP Unveils Vision For ITAN, A New Pan-African Screen Industry Gathering

As African cinema enters an increasingly important period of global growth, creatives and stakeholders in the film industry believe the continent needs not only more films, but stronger institutions, better skills, deeper professional networks and platforms capable of bringing the industry’s diverse stakeholders together.

Against this backdrop, a landmark Nigeria-Benin collaboration aimed at strengthening the next generation of African filmmakers will culminate this week as 20 young Beninese creatives take the stage at the iconic KAP Film Village & Resort in Oyo State, alongside some of the continent’s leading film and cultural voices.

The KAP-SOPA Pan-African Filmmaking Bootcamp, a partnership between KAP Film & Television Academy and the Government of the Republic of Benin, through its audio-visual agency, SOPA, will conclude with a three-day programme from September 17-19, featuring the premiere of original short films produced by the participants, their graduation and an awards night celebrating their achievements.

According to the organisers, the gathering is set to be about much more than the conclusion of a training programme. With filmmakers, producers, government representatives, diplomats, cultural leaders and other industry stakeholders travelling from within Nigeria, Benin, across Africa and beyond, the gathering will also provide the setting for the unveiling of ITAN, The Screen Gathering & Awards, a new Pan-African initiative scheduled to launch in October 2027.

The KAP–SOPA Bootcamp was conceived around a fundamental challenge facing Africa’s rapidly expanding film industry: the need to build the professional skills, capacity and networks required to transform the continent’s extraordinary storytelling potential into a sustainable global creative industry.
The fully sponsored 12-week programme has equipped 20 talented young Beninese creatives with filmmaking knowledge and practical industry experience while strengthening cultural collaboration between two neighbouring African nations.

Following four weeks of theoretical training in Cotonou, the participants have spent the final eight weeks undertaking an intensive, hands-on filmmaking residency at KAP Film Village & Resort in Nigeria. The result of that practical experience will be presented to the public when the participants premiere original short films created during the programme.

For KAP Film & Television Academy, however, the films are only part of the outcome. The larger objective is to create filmmakers who understand not only the craft, but the professional realities of the industry and the importance of collaboration, networking and cross-border knowledge exchange.

“The future of African cinema cannot depend only on the abundance of stories we have to tell. We must deliberately invest in the people with the skills to tell those stories professionally and create opportunities for them to connect with one another across borders. The KAP-SOPA partnership is a practical demonstration of that philosophy,” said Kunle Afolayan, Founder of the KAP Group which comprises KAP Film & Television Academy.

According to him, the programme promises to be a global gathering as it will bring together an extraordinary collection of African and international film personalities. Among the featured guests is internationally acclaimed Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, who will engage with the participants and conduct a special masterclass.
Other distinguished guests include renowned film curator and programmer Keith Shiri; acclaimed Nigerian filmmaker and producer Femi Odugbemi, and internationally recognised French producer, Virginie Besson-Silla.

“Their participation reflects one of the central tenets of the Bootcamp: African cinema will advance faster when its practitioners collaborate, share knowledge and build relationships across national and linguistic boundaries.

“The gathering, therefore, provides an unusual convergence of emerging talent and established industry leaders, creating opportunities for mentorship, dialogue, collaboration and professional networking,” Afolayan added.

He explained that it is within this context that KAP Group will formally unveil the vision for ITAN, The Screen Gathering & Awards. Scheduled to launch in October 2027 at KAP Film Village & Resort, ITAN is being conceived as an annual gathering dedicated to the business, practice and progress of film and screen culture in Africa.

The platform will bring together filmmakers, producers, distributors, exhibitors, investors, policymakers, academics, cultural institutions and other practitioners from across the continent and the global film industry. Its ambition is to create a space where the industry can move beyond conversations about individual films and confront the larger questions shaping African cinema.

The choice of venue for the gathering is itself part of the story. KAP Film Village & Resort is a purpose-built destination designed as a one-stop ecosystem for filmmaking, culture, tourism and hospitality. The village forms part of the KAP Group ecosystem and provides infrastructure for filmmakers, creative professionals, visitors and creative organizations.

It combines accommodation, film production infrastructure, functional film sets, recreational facilities and an immersive environment designed to allow filmmakers and visitors to learn, create, collaborate, stay and experience culture within one destination. It has served as the practical residency base for the Bootcamp and now becomes the meeting point for the international industry community gathering around the programme.