CARIBPR WIRE, TORONTO, Canada, Fri. Mar. 20, 2026: 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.

CCH Pounder, Award Winning Actor, and CCF Steering Group Member

“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,” commented CCH Pounder, Award Winning Actor, and CCF Steering Group Member.

A Gateway For Global Collaboration

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,” stated Michael Newton, CEO of UMEDA.

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.

Sydney Masina, partner at Pambili Media.

“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,” said 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.

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.

Driving South South Collaboration

With the recent co-production agreement signed between South Africa and Nigeria, and the continued growth of the African Continental Free Trade Area, (AfCFTA), cross-regional collaboration in the creative industries is entering a transformative phase.

The AfCFTA connects 55 African Union nations, forming the world’s largest free trade area by membership.

“We’re witnessing the potential of the AfCFTA to come to life through creative industry partnerships. South Africa’s dynamic screen industry, combined with its co-production infrastructure, positions it as a strategic gateway for South–South collaboration and creative entrepreneurship,” said Dr. Keith Nurse, Cultural Industries Specialist, Chair of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution.

Dr Keith Nurse, Cultural Industries Specialist, Chair of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution.

“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,” said Frances-Anne Solomon, Founder and CEO, CaribbeanTales Media Group.

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.

About The Cross Continental Forum

The Cross Continental Forum, established by CaribbeanTales Media Group, is a co-production accelerator connecting Black and Global Majority producers across Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Canada and the Americas. The hybrid program provides mentorship, training and industry connections designed to support sustainable and equitable global partnerships.

For more information and to apply before April 15, 2026, visit:  www.decolonisingcoproduction.com/apply/

About CaribbeanTales Media Group

CaribbeanTales Media Group (CTMG) is a Toronto-based media organization dedicated to the development, production, exhibition and distribution of film and television content from the Caribbean and its global diaspora. Founded by filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon, CTMG builds international pathways for Black and Global Majority creators through initiatives including the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival, the CaribbeanTales Incubator and the Cross Continental Forum, connecting Global South producers to international markets and co-production opportunities.

About Pambili Media

Pambili Media is a South African film and television production company with a distinguished history of  record breaking  African stories for global audiences. Led by award winning filmmaker Mandla Dube and partners Sydney Masina and US based Steven Adams, the company is also  known for connecting African creators with international partners and expanding opportunities for co-production and global distribution.

About UMEDA

The uMgungundlovu Economic Development Agency, (UMEDA) is the official economic development agency for the uMgungundlovu District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. UMEDA works to stimulate regional investment, support industry development and promote sustainable economic growth across key sectors, including the creative and digital industries, positioning the Pietermaritzburg Midlands as a gateway for international collaboration and innovation.

Creative Export Canada, part of the Creative Export Strategy, provides visibility and funding to help Canadian creative works achieve financial success abroad.

CCF2026 is funded by Creative Industries Funding from the City of Toronto, that supports organizations building skills for jobs in film, TV, music, and creative tech.

“There’s a depth and richness in our storytelling that often gets overlooked in traditional spaces. I’m excited to see what solutions emerge to help us produce these stories in ways that truly reflect the beauty, complexity, and brilliance already in the room,” commented Melanie Hoyes, Director of Inclusion at the British Film Institute.

Producers, funders, storytellers, and cultural strategists from across the world met for several days in Barbados in June at The Cross Continental Forum 2025 from The Caribbean Tales.

In mid-June producers, funders, storytellers, and cultural strategists from across the world met for several days in Barbados to not only discuss problems but find solutions to produce culturally relevant films by creatives who tend to be overlooked by the Global North (who generally decides who gets to tell their stories and how).

What Comes Next

CCF 2025 served as a real-time lab for creative problem-solving, cultural equity, and economic strategy. With over 30 producers directly participating and hundreds more reached through public events and screenings, the forum sparked new partnerships, reshaped how stories are valued, and laid the groundwork for future collaboration.

Key developments already in progress:

• The CCF Manifesto
  A unified declaration of intent and action – documenting concrete next steps from producers, partners, and collaborators, and signaling a collective commitment to move decisively from conversation to co-production.
• Cross-Continental Collaborations
  New cross-border alliances are taking shape from Lagos to Kingston to Port of Spain – grounded in equity, creative ownership, and cultural authenticity.
• Financing & Policy Shifts
  Funding strategies and policy shifts are already taking shape across public and private sectors, ignited by the ideas and commitments forged at the forum.

The Cross Continental Forum founder, Frances Anne Solomon, in red at l, with film producers and sponsors at CCF 2025 in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Stay Connected

This was the second staging of the forum, and the movement continues to grow.

If you’re a funder, commissioning body, or industry ally committed to equity-driven storytelling – we invite you to connect. Equity-driven storytelling needs bold partners. Join us as we shape a creative ecosystem where the Global South leads, owns and tells its stories on its own terms.

Visit the official site to explore more and express your interest or follow @crosscontintentalforum on Instagram or email ccf@creatorsofcolour.com

This isn’t the end – it’s the shift.

Attendees of CCF 2025 in Bridgetown, Barbados on June 18, 2025. (Brian Medina image)

CARIBPR WIRE, Bridgetown, Barbados, Mon. June 30, 2025: Two filmmakers, Ife Alaba (Canada), and Kerel Pinder (Bahamas), walked away from the Cross Continental Forum (CCF) 2025 with grant funding to kickstart co-productions, thanks to support from the Inter-American Development Bank—marking a tangible outcome of a weeklong event that moved beyond conversation and into transformation.

The forum, presented by CaribbeanTales Media Group and the Department of Creative and Performing Arts at UWI Cave Hill, concluded its five-day convergence on June 18 with a bold message: The time to build is now. Producers and delegates from across the Caribbean, Africa, Canada, the UK, Europe, and the U.S. issued a united call to design, fund, and activate local film ecosystems without waiting for the “perfect” conditions.

Held under the theme Decolonising Co-Production, CCF 2025 brought together over 50 producers, industry delegates, and creatives to interrogate the systems that determine whose stories are told – and how. The forum challenged participants to shift their gaze from scarcity to opportunity. As Frances-Anne Solomon, CEO of CaribbeanTales and co-creator of the forum, emphasized: “It’s great to tell the story—we’re already good at that. The real question is: where will you get the money? Who can you collaborate with to make your project real? These two points must always be front and centre.”

Rather than reinforcing narratives of lack, the forum functioned as a live, collaborative lab – providing real-world opportunities for filmmakers to forge meaningful partnerships and begin building with what they have.

High-Profile Contributors Included:

• CCH Pounder – Guyana-born acclaimed actor, CCF Steering Group member, and activist.
• 
• Lorraine Toussaint – Celebrated Trinidad & Tobago-born actor, producer, and cultural trailblazer.
• Ava DuVernay – Renowned filmmaker, producer, and founder of ARRAY.

DuVernay’s virtual keynote was a standout moment. In a direct message to emerging creators, she dismantled the myth that big budgets make better films: “If your first idea moves you way outside your budget – pivot. Use what’s around you. The best films often happen in the smallest spaces.”

Global media powerhouses Fiona Lamptey, former Head of UK Features at Netflix; Joel Phiri, leading South African producer and distributor with Known Associates; Effie T. Brown, Gamechanger Films, USA, and celebrated Canadian content creator, Jen Holness, took center stage over five days – leading powerful conversations with producers in the room and helping to surface hard truths and tangible next steps.

The forum tackled structural barriers to equity across key pillars:

Day 1 – Decolonising Policy & Legislation: Reforming frameworks that hinder equitable content creation
Day 2 – Decolonising Financing: Disrupting traditional funding streams to centre Black and Global Majority creators
Day 3 – Decolonising Content: Preserving cultural authenticity while scaling reach
Day 4 – Decolonising Distribution: Building inclusive, sustainable distribution models
Day 5 – Decolonising Co-Production: Forging cross-border collaboration rooted in equity

Key stakeholders – including C15 Studios, Caribbean Creative Fund, and major partners such as the Inter-American Development Bank, Invest Barbados, Barbados Tourism and Marketing Inc., Barbados Film and Television Association, Canada Media Fund, Picture NL, and the KZN Tourism and Film Authority – joined the forum to offer funding insights and forge next-step pathways.

Felicia J. Persaud, CEO of Invest Caribbean, moderated a pivotal panel on financing and pointed to a lack of infrastructure: “Few Caribbean countries have usable tax incentives or co-production treaties. While a handful – like Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad & Tobago – offer tax rebates, many, including Barbados, are still playing catch-up.”

What’s Next: Turning Vision Into Industry

With over 30 producers participating in intensive sessions, 20 industry delegates engaged, and hundreds more reached through public programming, CCF 2025 delivered more than discussion – it produced a working blueprint for regional film industry growth.

Key recommendations from forum attendees include:

• Establishing robust film tax incentive programs across the region
• Negotiating formal co-production treaties with countries like Canada, South Africa, and the UK
• Developing inter-island agreements to enable seamless Caribbean collaboration

As one of the few forums of its kind, The Cross Continental Forum is a real-time lab for creative disruption, and with next year’s application cycle opening soon, it continues to position Caribbean and Global South storytellers not on the margins – but at the center of global storytelling futures.

Thirty-one producers representing four continents will meet in Barbados for this transformative event.

CARIBPR Wire, BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, May 20,2025: The Caribbean is calling her children home.

In just 3 weeks, the Cross Continental Forum (CCF) 2025, hosted by CaribbeanTales Media Group, (CTMG), in partnership with the Department of Creative and Performing Arts, UWI Cave Hill,  will bring together leading film and television producers  from the UK, Canada, South Africa, the US, and across the Caribbean. They will join creatives, cultural entrepreneurs and the general public, for five powerful days in beautiful Barbados.

Under the theme “Decolonising Co-Production,” the Forum will explore innovative ways to foster collaboration through the empowering lens of the Global South.

“We’re creating a space where Global South producers from around the world can meet on our home soil to together shape new models of financing, storytelling, and ownership,” said Frances-Anne Solomon, founder of CTMG and the visionary force behind the Forum.

Producers will be joining from the following countries:

Canada will have the largest number of film producers at CCF 2025.

●     Canada  - (10)

○     Jennifer Holness

○     Floyd Kane

○     Jennifer Podemski

○     Andrew Burrows-Trotman

○     Nauzanin Knight

○     Gail Maurice

○     Virinder Singh

○     Ife Alaba

○     George Tamakloe

○     Yejide Emioladipupo

●     United Kingdom – (6)

○     Ameenah Ayub Allen

○     Jonte Richardson

○     Emma Grazette

○     Lauren Gee

○     Femi Oyeniran

○     Victoria Thomas

●     The Caribbean

Trinidad & Tobago – (3)

○     Sophie Walcott

○     Camille Abrahams

○     Shari Petti

Barbados – (4)

○     Penelope Hynam

○     Alison  Sealy Smith

○     Ryan Wilfred

○     Sheldon St.Clair

The Bahamas – (3)

○     Tabitha Ritchie

○     Karel Pinder

○     Maria Govan

The Dominican Republic – (2)

○     Eunice Levis

○     Jenna Cavelle

Guyana – (2)

○     Victoria Arjoon

○     Mason Richar

●     South Africa – (2)

○     Nhlanhla Mthethwa

○     SB Sithebe

A Forum For Cultural, Economic, And Creative Evolution

Now in its second year, CCF aims to become a vital platform for reshaping co-production norms and building lasting partnerships across borders.

For the Canada Media Fund, one of the Forum’s key funders, the sense of homecoming is profound. During the Forum’s online opening, CMF’s Joy Loewen remarked, “It’s long overdue. We need to build meaningful and sustainable bridges between our industries and our communities.”

The event addresses critical inequities in the global media production landscape. Agnieszka Moody, Head of International Relations at the British Film Institute, emphasized, “The old models of production and co-production disproportionately favor the Global North. The Cross Continental Forum offers a space to create a blueprint for new ones built on trust, equity, and shared legacy.”

More Than Culture This Is Economic Empowerment

South African producer Kethiwe Ngcobo reflected on the significance of this gathering, “We are here to work, to connect, and to create wealth from our stories. This is not just about culture – it’s about economics. And it starts with us, together.”

ABOUT THE CROSS CONTINENTAL FORUM

The Cross Continental Forum (CCF) 2025 is a production of CaribbeanTales Media Group in collaboration with the Department of Creative and Performing Arts (UWI Cave Hill). Support for the CCF is generously provided by numerous organizations, including the Canada Media Fund, British Film Institute, Mango Bay Group of Companies, Invest Barbados, Inter-American Development Bank, Picture NL, National Cultural Foundation of Barbados, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, Barbados Film and Television Association, Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago, Telefilm Canada, and many other international partners.

Guiding CCF 2025 is a Steering Group comprised of: Frances-Anne Solomon (CEO, CaribbeanTales Media Group), Andrew Millington (Head, Department of Creative and Performing Arts – UWI Cave Hill), CCH Pounder (Guyanese-born actor and activist), Dr. Keith Nurse (Founding Chair, CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution and President of COSTAATT), Zikethiwe Ngcobo (CEO, Fuzebox Entertainment, South Africa), John Reid (Former CEO of FLOW Telecommunications, Caribbean and Latin America), Agnieszka Moody (Head of International Relations, British Film Institute), Chloe Sosa Simms (CBC Senior Advisor, Acquisitions), and international events producer Diana Webley (Director of Events, CaribbeanTales Media Group).