Out of The Caribbean: CCH Pounder Joins Caribbean Tales Media Group to spearhead African expansion
CCH Pounder leads Cross Continental Forum expansion connecting Caribbean and African filmmakers “Expanding the Cross Continental Forum to South Africa allows us to turn shared heritage into shared enterprise—creatively, economically, and strategically.” — CCH Pounder Guyanese-born actor and activist CCH Pounder has joined Caribbean Tales Media Group as a steering group member, spearheading the expansion […]
Black News 
CCH Pounder leads Cross Continental Forum expansion connecting Caribbean and African filmmakers
“Expanding the Cross Continental Forum to South Africa allows us to turn shared heritage into shared enterprise—creatively, economically, and strategically.” — CCH Pounder
Guyanese-born actor and activist CCH Pounder has joined Caribbean Tales Media Group as a steering group member, spearheading the expansion of the Cross Continental Forum (CCF). The initiative connects filmmakers across the Caribbean, Africa, and the diaspora, with this next phase extending from the Caribbean to South Africa.
With a career spanning decades, CCH Pounder is best known for her roles in NCIS: New Orleans, The Shield, and Avatar. She is now turning her focus toward enterprise within the global entertainment space, leading the expansion of the CCF, an initiative by Caribbean Tales Media Group that connects producers across Africa, the Caribbean, and the diaspora. The programme will now extend to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, transforming shared heritage into shared enterprise.
The initiative aims to support Black Caribbean and African diaspora filmmakers by fostering international co-productions and helping them scale within the industry. It brings together Pounder’s experience in film and television with CaribbeanTales’ mission to elevate Caribbean and African storytelling, including platforming films such as Rain, which features Pounder.
Caribbean Tales Media Group, founded by Frances-Anne Solomon, launched the Cross Continental Forum in 2024. Its vision is both simple and radical: to bring Black and Global Majority producers from Africa, the Caribbean, Canada, Europe, and the Americas together, equipping them to enter international co-productions as originators, retaining ownership, rights, and creative control, rather than participating as junior partners. After two successful editions in Barbados, the 2026 programme will move to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in July.
This expansion comes at a pivotal moment. South Africa and Nigeria have recently signed a co-production agreement, while the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) continues to grow, linking 55 nations and generating momentum across the creative industries. As Keith Nurse, Chair of CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution, notes, the AfCFTA’s potential is beginning to materialise through creative partnerships, with South Africa’s screen infrastructure positioning it as a gateway for South–South collaboration.
Following two successful editions in Barbados, the 2026 programme will begin with an in-person gathering in the Pietermaritzburg Midlands, KwaZulu-Natal, from 20–26 July, presented in partnership with UMEDA and Pambili Media. It will then continue at the Toronto International Film Festival Market (8–13 September), followed by four weeks of virtual labs and curated B2B matchmaking sessions.
This is not about Caribbean and African filmmakers trying to break into Hollywood or secure a BBC commission. Instead, it is about building direct pipelines between regions on their own terms, with their intellectual property intact.
CCH Pounder’s involvement brings significant cultural and industry weight to the initiative. Her career exemplifies how Caribbean heritage can translate into global success without compromise, making her a fitting force behind this next phase of the Cross Continental Forum.
Applications are open until 15 April.
