Bridging Stories, Building Kinship - from ‘White Colour Black’ to Matchmakers Global South

The launch of the Matchmakers Global South Lab represents more than a new programme, it's the culmination of a personal and professional journey for British-Nigerian director/producer Joseph a. Adesunloye. Here, he reflects on making his debut feature White Colour Black across Senegal and the UK and why structured co-production support is the key to unlocking a new wave of diaspora storytelling.

" When I set out to make my first feature, White Colour Black, in 2015, the story itself dictated the journey. Leke, a London-based photographer returns to his father's home country Senegal, grappling with identity, grief and belonging. The narrative was a bridge between Britain and West Africa and so too, inevitably, was the production. We shot in the bustling streets of Dakar and the quiet corners of East London, stitching together a film that lived in both worlds. But the practical reality of building that bridge alone was my greatest education and revealed to me the industry's most significant gap.

We navigated Senegalese production customs, UK Indie financing structures and the process underscored a stark truth, for UK-based filmmakers rooted in the diaspora, there were no clear maps for these co-production journeys. We were pathfinders by necessity, often expending as much energy on building the road as on making the film.

This is the very reason Luiza Paiva, producer of Mairare LTD and I came together to create the Matchmakers Global South Lab - in response to the BFI Creative Challenge Fund’s call for programmes that offer bold new opportunities for project development. We are excited to create a programme that facilitates the development of new British stories for cinema audiences and grateful for the support of the BFI Creative Challenge Fund, awarding National Lottery funding - it is the programme I wish I had when starting out. It’s a direct response to the isolation so many emerging producers feel when their stories, like mine, naturally span continents. The lab will introduce participants to industry experts who will provide mentoring, support and educational sessions and training across production, marketing and strategy to develop and package their international co-production projects and will culminate in the cohort of producers attending the European Film Market at Berlinale to launch their projects into the global marketplace. Ultimately, the Lab isn’t just about providing contacts, it’s about building kinship. It’s about creating a sustainable network of mutual understanding and respect between the UK and the vibrant film ecosystems of Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America.

That’s why the Lab’s mentorship from world-class artists like the Brazilian-Algerian director Karim Aïnouz, Saïd Hamich Moroccan-French film producer, Emily Morgan from Quiddity Films and Akin Omotoso, South African-Nigerian producer is so vital. They understand that storytelling from the Global South is not a monolith, it’s a complex, rich dialogue of perspectives. They know that a successful co-production is a meeting of creative souls, not just a transaction.

The Lab’s focus is brilliantly specific, equipping UK-based emerging producers to co-produce with partners in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America. This isn’t about parachuting in to extract a location or an aesthetic. It’s about building that kinship and bridge built on mutual capacity, respect and strategic alignment.

Furthermore, partnering with institutions like the British Council and Projeto Paradiso will enhance the access and experience of our producing cohort. Being able to take the 10 projects to the European Film Market at Berlinale is a game-changer. It answers the critical question of ‘what next?’ after development. It ensures these newly packaged projects, born of genuine cross-cultural partnership, are launched into the global marketplace with strategy and support.

For too long, UK-based filmmakers with stories tied to Africa, the Caribbean, or Latin America have been told their narratives are 'too niche', or 'too international' when seeking funding. Matchmakers seeks to demonstrate that these stories are inherently British and globally resonant. It provides the concrete skills from packaging to legal frameworks to marketing to prove it.

The inclusion of partners like Screen Nigeria and the Brazilian Ministry of Culture is also crucial. It ensures the bridge has sturdy foundations on both sides. This isn’t a UK-centric outreach programme, it’s a reciprocal network in the making. From our encounters with these regions we see that filmmakers in these regions are equally outward looking. The Lab facilitates a meeting in the middle, a fertile third space where the most exciting hybrid work can be born.

White Colour Black was a personal pilgrimage to understand a father’s home. My hope is that the Matchmakers Global South Lab will turn the hard won lessons from my set in Dakar into a shared toolkit, enabling the next generation to focus less on navigating the void and more on crafting the masterpiece that awaits on the other side.

Of course, the Industry has come a long way since we shot White Colour Black in 2015 – we now have the UK Global Screen Fund which launched in 2021, dedicated to supporting UK-International co-productions, and a revamped and more attractive tax credit system that makes the UK a competitive and attractive a place for potential partners.

We celebrate this evolving ecosystem and this Lab is more than an initiative, it’s a belief made manifest. The belief that our hybrid identities are not barriers, but the very foundation of a new, more connected cinematic language. I am thrilled to help build the infrastructure that will allow so many more of these vital stories to cross from imagination into reality.

To any emerging producer reading this, whose script holds the cadence of multiple places, I urge you to look at this programme. This is more than a training lab. It’s a declaration that the routes into these vibrant markets are being mapped and that your hybrid vision is valid. The Matchmakers Global South Lab is building the very infrastructure our stories have been waiting for. It’s time to cross that bridge and build together."

Joseph a. Adesunloye is the co-founder of DreamCoat Films and co-founder of the Matchmakers Global South Lab. His debut feature White Colour Black (2018) premiered at the BFI London Film Festival and his latest feature VANILLA was selected for Locarno Pro - First Look on UK Cinema.

Discover more about the Matchmakers Global South Lab - Apply by 9 January 2026: www.dreamcoatproductions.com/matchmakers

We'll be checking back on Matchmakers Global South Lab as the first cohort is announced shortly.