Durban FilmMart Spotlights Promising Nigerian Project

The Durban FilmMart, one of Africa’s premier film industry events, returns for its 16th edition from July 18-21. The festival continues its legacy as the continent’s leading platform for co-production, networking, and film financing. Under the theme Bridges Not Borders: Stories That Unite, this year’s market aims to strengthen creative connections across Africa by bringing filmmakers together with global broadcasters, financiers, and streaming platforms.

Among the 31 projects selected for the prestigious Pitch and Finance Forum is Bupya (Renewed) by Nigerian filmmaker Dipo Abdul Osiyemi. The project is produced by Oge Obasi, who has made her mark in African cinema through her work on the critically acclaimed Mami Wata. That groundbreaking film, directed by her frequent collaborator C.J. ‘Fiery’ Obasi, made history as the first by a Nigeria-based filmmaker to compete at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023 after being developed through international programs including the Durban FilmMart itself. 

Bupya (Renewed) represents a significant departure for Obasi, marking one of her productions outside of her creative partnership with C.J. Obasi since her early 2010s work on Apostates with James Omokwe. Now based in Rwanda, Obasi brings considerable industry experience to this promising new project.

DFMI Director Magdalene Reddy expressed confidence in this year’s selections: “Given the remarkable success of our DFM alumni in recent years—with projects premiering at major international festivals and securing global distribution—I’m confident this cohort will follow a similar trajectory of recognition and impact. These stories not only connect different regions of Africa but also reach out to our diaspora and Global South communities, embodying our theme of building bridges through cinema.”