The training space for African filmmakers

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apply to join our TYs cohort

In 2026, our Cohort supports a select group of African filmmakers through training, funding, and management to produce their debut short films.

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TYS 2.0

The business course For African filmmakers

Featured
Lesson 1 - Introduction. Your Filmmaking Journey Starts Here
Lesson 1 - Introduction. Your Filmmaking Journey Starts Here

Step into the world of storytelling. This orientation lesson introduces you to the heart of filmmaking, essential film language, and the exciting storytelling formats you’ll explore throughout the program. Your journey as a filmmaker starts right here.

Lesson 2 - From Fire Circles to Film
Lesson 2 - From Fire Circles to Film

Before cameras, there were stories — sung, danced, and remembered. Get on a journey through Africa’s ancient storytelling traditions, from griots and masquerades to fire-circle fables. You’ll discover how film is not the beginning of storytelling, but its latest expression.

Lesson 3 - Evolution of Global and African Cinema
Lesson 3 - Evolution of Global and African Cinema

Travel through time and witness how cinema evolved—from the silent film era to the rise of African storytellers taking back their narratives. This lesson explores how history, politics, and technology shaped global filmmaking and how African cinema turned resistance into creativity.

Lesson 4 - Show, Don’t Tell. The Art of Visual
Lesson 4 - Show, Don’t Tell. The Art of Visual

In this lesson, you will learn the magic of visual storytelling—the skill of using images, light, color, and movement to make your audience feel something. You’ll learn how to “show” emotion through visuals rather than “tell” through words, and discover how this power has always existed in African life and art.

Lesson 5 - Train Your Eye, Feel Your Story
Lesson 5 - Train Your Eye, Feel Your Story

This is your creative playground! In Lesson 5, you’ll train your eyes and emotions to see stories visually. Through ten fun, hands-on activities, you’ll learn how to express feeling, rhythm, and story using only images, color, light, and composition — before you ever press “record.

Lesson 6 - Build Stories That Travel
Lesson 6 - Build Stories That Travel

Learn how to craft a story that resonates with a global audience while preserving your African authenticity and identity. 6 core elements of storytelling — from context and character to emotion and conflict — showing you how to craft narratives that resonates with a global audiences.

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TYS 1.0

The basic course for African filmmakers

Featured
M1 L1 Orientation
M1 L1 Orientation

Step into the world of storytelling with Joadre, your creative guide and avatar of the founder of Bold With Jo. This orientation lesson introduces you to the heart of filmmaking, essential film language, and the exciting storytelling formats you’ll explore throughout the program. Your journey as a filmmaker starts right here.

M4 L23 Use AI to Visualize Your Story
M4 L23 Use AI to Visualize Your Story

Learn how to organise your story using the three-act structure and turn your outline into a script. This lesson shows you how AI can help you draft scenes quickly — while you refine the emotion, culture, and authenticity.

M4 L24 Use AI to Research and Shape Stories
M4 L24 Use AI to Research and Shape Stories

Documentary storytelling is about truth, and AI can help you uncover, organize, and shape that truth faster. Learn how to use AI for research, structure, transcription, and story development — while keeping your voice and integrity at the center.

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CoTRG trailer

Custodians Of The Red Gold | Hybrid-Docu Series | 12 Episodes

talks

podcast Series | 3 seasons

ezuzu trailer

Epic one-stage drama | fiction series | Season 1, 8 episodes

FAQ – All You Need to Know About BWJ

  • First and foremost, your platform consistently curates trainings to foster Afrocentric storytelling. You will have access to our courses, training resources, and exploration sessions within our cohort and Lab.

    Secondly, BWJ is building a fresh library of African stories—think original series, documentaries, films, talk shows, and more. All crafted to entertain, inspire, and reflect real African experiences.

  • Easy! Once you subscribe, you’ll get our exclusive members-only newsletter. We’ll keep you updated with the latest shows, release schedules, behind-the-scenes news, and more.

  • Stream BWJ on your phone, tablet, laptop, or cast to any smart TV—all for one simple annual fee. The basic plan cost €29 per year. No hidden charges. No contracts. We also have FREE access available.

  • Great question. BWJ is a proudly independent platform with no ads, and we focus on nurturing young African storytellers. To keep things sustainable and impactful, we run annual programs funded by your yearly subscription. It's a long-term commitment to real change.

  • BWJ (Bold With Jo) is more than a streaming platform—it’s a movement. We bring you bold African stories across series, fiction, documentaries, and conversations. And we’re all about amplifying African voices and empowering creatives of African descent.

  • Anywhere, anytime. Just log into your account on boldwithjo.com using your browser. You can also stream on your phone, tablet, laptop, or cast it straight to your smart TV.

  • We like to keep things simple. No contracts, no fuss. You can cancel your account online anytime in just a few clicks. No cancellation fees, ever.

  • Every subscription fuels something bigger. At BWJ, storytelling is power—it shapes how we see ourselves and how the world sees us.

    Through BWJ Academy, we train young African creatives hands-on in real film productions—from writing and acting to cinematography and marketing. It's not just about learning, it's about earning while learning, with trainees getting paid as they train.

    Graduates become part of our BWJ Creative Collective—a growing network of African storytellers whose work we help bring to life and showcase on the platform.

    Your subscription supports jobs, creativity, and a whole new generation of voices. So yes, you're not just watching—you’re making impact.