We Are Building Something Bigger. And We Want You With Us.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I want to start with a confession: I did not expect the Cross Continental Forum to become what it has become.
When we launched the first edition, it was born from a conviction. If I am being honest, a certain stubborn refusal to accept that the stories of the Caribbean and the African diaspora would continue to be told by everyone except us. We wanted to create a space. A convening. A moment where filmmakers, storytellers, industry leaders, and cultural advocates from across the Global South could find each other, and find themselves reflected in a room that actually understood them.
That first edition was a beginning. The second proved it was a movement.
And now, as we prepare for the third iteration of the Cross Continental Forum, with our call for applications now officially closed, I find myself genuinely moved by how far we have come. Even more energized by the incredible depth of the stories currently in our hands.
The Industry Wants These Stories. So What’s Missing?
Let me tell you something I have learned after years in this industry: representation in film is not just a cultural conversation. It is an industry conversation. It is a business conversation. The global appetite for diverse, authentic storytelling has never been higher, and yet the infrastructure that supports Caribbean and African diasporic creators continues to lag behind.
The Cross Continental Forum exists to close that gap. We bring together the people who make the work, the people who fund it, the people who distribute it, and the people who champion it! And we put them in the same room, at the same table, in conversation with each other.
The results have been tangible. Connections made at our previous editions have led to co-productions, distribution deals, and collaborations that simply would not have existed otherwise.
I have spent the better part of my career working at the intersection of Caribbean storytelling and the global film industry. I have seen what happens when our creators are given the right platforms and the right support. I have seen films get made. I have seen careers launch. I have seen audiences moved to tears and moved to action.
The Cross Continental Forum is, in many ways, the accumulation of everything I have learned about what it takes to actually shift an industry. It takes community. It takes continuity. And it takes partners who see what you see, and are willing to stake their name on it. So, I am looking for partners, people, and organizations who believe, as we do, that this is the moment for Caribbean and diasporic cinema to take its rightful place in the global conversation.
Send in your proposal here to become a media partner and let us imagine, together, what the third chapter of this story might look like with your organization as part of it.
With warmth and in solidarity,
Frances Anne Solomon
Founder | C.E.O.
2026 Program Highlights
- Hybrid Format
4 weeks of Virtual sessions.
Two in-person gatherings, in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, and in Toronto, in collaboration with the TIFF Market.
- Industry Panels and Matchmaking
Curated sessions with international broadcasters, streamers, and investors.
Targeted matchmaking to connect Black producers with strategic global partners.
- Creative and Business Labs
Case studies and practical labs on international co-productions, financing, and distribution strategies.
Focus on building equitable, sustainable, decolonial production and business models.
- Pitch and Networking Events
Designed to showcase projects from Black and Global Majority producers.
Structured environments for forming long-term partnerships and co-production deals.
- Co-production Seed Funding Presented in partnership with leading screen industry organizations and cultural agencies from Africa, the Caribbean, and Canada.
Click here to learn more About the Program
Click here to learn about Our Funders and Partners
Interested in Partnering?
Apply Now at https://decolonisingcoproduction.com/ccf-media-accreditation/
Media Contact:
Tedecia Bromfield
Communications Manager, Cross Continental Forum 2026
Email: press@decolonisingcoproduction.com
Whatsapp +1 (876) 503-2968
