Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich’s ‘Ballad of Suzanne Césaire’ Follow-Up Joins Inaugural Slate From ‘Pan-African Film Studio’ Yetu (Un)Limited (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Christopher Vourlias The sophomore film from “The Ballad of Suzanne Césaire” director Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich and the feature debut of rising Senegalese filmmaker Awa Moctar Gueye are among the projects that pan-African production outfit Yetu (Un)Limited will be pitching to prospective partners at the European Film Market.

A collective of five creative producers looking to unlock the growing potential of African and diasporic content, Yetu (Un)Limited is among the five companies selected to take part in the Company Matching program at this year’s Berlinale Co-Production Market.

Launched in 2024, Yetu (Un)Limited was founded by producers Yanis Gaye, Melissa Adeyemo, Carol Kioko, Ike Yemoh and Chloe Ortolé, after meeting at a workshop hosted by the European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs (EAVE). “Oftentimes, when you go to a space like EAVE as an African producer, you’re constantly being reminded of how you should be connecting outside of the continent,” Adeyemo tells Variety. “For us, it became more important to be connecting and figuring out ways to work with each other.” Describing their venture as a “pan-African film studio,” the producers — who are each developing a slate of projects through their independent production companies — decided to pool their resources and know-how, recognizing that a strength-in-numbers approach “allows us to have an impact on the creative production process, from development to marketing and exhibition,” according to Gaye.

The company’s current slate includes “Days of the Dog,” Hunt-Ehrlich’s follow-up to her shimmering debut “Ballad,” which was described as an “intoxicating reverie” by Variety after its Rotterdam premiere last year.