Kava, a Black-owned streamer from Inkblot and Filmhouse, launches globally with premium Nollywood titles and a filmmaker-led vision for authentic African stories.
Kava arrives with a clear promise, and a name that spells it out: Keep African Voices Alive. Co-founded by Nollywood heavyweights Inkblot Studios and Filmhouse Group, the platform is designed as a premium, filmmaker-led home for African storytelling. AfroToronto spoke with Kava’s co-CEOs, Chinaza Onuzo (Inkblot Studios) and Kene Okwuosa (Filmhouse Group), about why this moment matters, how the service will roll out globally, and what it means for creators and audiences across the continent and the diaspora.
Born from a long-running partnership between Inkblot and Filmhouse, Kava takes shape after years of working with international streamers and watching priorities shift. The founders recognized both the possibilities and the limitations of relying on external platforms to tell big-budget African stories. Kava is their answer: a global service focused on premium African film and TV, built by the people who produce, finance, distribute, and exhibit Nollywood at scale.
The mission is ambitious and intentionally pan-African in scope. While the first slate leans into Nollywood’s deep bench of talent and audience demand, the roadmap spans Ghana, Kenya, Francophone Africa, and the Black British creative scene. This is about cultural ownership, economic momentum, and a unified destination where African and diaspora audiences can find work that truly speaks to them.
Why now, and why Kava?
Kava emerges at a time when major global streamers have recalibrated investment in African originals. For Onuzo and Okwuosa, this created a gap in the market and a creative slowdown on the ground. Their response centres on scale, curation, and consistency.
Before the bullet points, here’s the context. For over a decade, Nollywood’s surge in production quality and audience reach has been undeniable. Big platforms helped supercharge budgets and visibility, then stepped back. Crews went quiet, projects stalled, and release certainty wavered. Kava aims to restore momentum with a reliable pipeline and a platform designed to meet the needs of African storytelling, from financing to global distribution.
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Built by industry leaders, Inkblot and Filmhouse combine production, distribution, and exhibition expertise, providing Kava with a rare end-to-end understanding of what makes African content succeed both at home and abroad.
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Premium positioning: Kava distinguishes itself from open platforms by curating theatrical-grade films and series, including exclusive post-theatrical titles and classics audiences already love.
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Diaspora focus, global reach: Programming is explicitly designed for viewers in Toronto, London, Lagos, Johannesburg, and beyond, with language and cultural nuance as a core feature.
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Filmmaker-led curation: The platform’s north star is creators. Expect intentional, high-quality curation and long-term investment in bold, career-defining work.
Authenticity as strategy
Audiences can spot authenticity. Kava’s approach is to empower African storytellers to create at scale, with budgets and tools that match their ambition. That means elevating Nollywood while expanding into Kenyan, Ghanaian, and Francophone projects, and embracing the Black British experience as part of Africa’s global cultural map.
Kava’s leadership team underscores that focus: alongside the co-CEOs, Zulumoke Oyibo heads Content Development, Ladun Awobokun leads Content Acquisition, Damola Ademola oversees Product, and Mojisola Oladapo runs PR and Marketing. The mandate is clear—grow a catalogue that feels like home to a billion people on the continent and tens of millions in the diaspora.
Technology that widens the circle
Innovation is practical here. The team views technology as a means to reach new audiences without compromising the essence of the work. The immediate opportunity is language access. High-quality dubbing and subtitling have historically been expensive barriers for independent productions. With rapidly improving tools, Kava plans to expand access to multiple languages more efficiently, opening doors for smaller films and regional gems to travel further. The goal is simple—meet audiences in the languages they speak.
From platform to engine: The creative economy effect
When investment flows, crews get hired, sets get built, and careers accelerate. Kava’s founders witnessed how higher budgets lifted production values and created steady work across departments—from lighting and sound to costume, makeup, and post-production. With Kava, they want that engine humming again, in Nigeria and across key African and diaspora hubs.
This extends to the Black UK creative landscape, where Black filmmakers and actors often struggle to find a consistent home for their stories. Kava aims to be a bridge, commissioning and curating work that reflects Black British life while staying in conversation with stories from the continent.
Originals on the horizon
At launch, Kava’s catalogue features premium Nollywood titles and beloved classics. The long-term plan is Kava Originals—bold, statement projects that push scale and craft. As the subscriber base grows, expect larger canvases and period dramas, genre experiments, and event series that challenge assumptions about what African budgets and crews can deliver. The intention is to build a positive feedback loop: larger audiences enable greater risks, which attract even more audiences.
Business model: subscription first, with room for AVOD
Kava launches as a subscription service, with ad-supported options planned for select markets where that model improves access and growth. The team’s research suggests AVOD will be a strategic lever across parts of the continent, but the day-one proposition is clear: a premium, ad-free experience that meets the standards audiences expect from top-tier global streamers.
What viewers can expect
Kava promises a polished viewing experience akin to that of a major streamer, with a catalogue rooted in African excellence. Expect exclusive post-theatrical releases, a pipeline of new weekly additions, and access to modern classics that shaped the last decade of Nollywood. The emphasis is on delight—stories that feel specific, local, and deeply resonant, delivered with the production values and user experience global viewers now take for granted.
How to watch Kava
Kava is launching globally, including Canada and the United States, with a UK launch event and staged rollout.
Before the quick facts, here’s what matters for Toronto and diaspora viewers. Kava is built to be accessible wherever the diaspora lives, with device-agnostic streaming and a catalogue that reflects both continental and diaspora realities. Whether you’re in Scarborough, Brixton, Accra, or Abuja, the promise is the same: open the app and find work that feels like you.
- Early access: Opens August 31, 2025 (as part of Kava’s UK launch event).
- Full global launch: September 1, 2025.
- Availability: Worldwide at launch, including Toronto and cities across Canada and the U.S.
- Where to sign up: kava.tv
- Devices: Stream anywhere with an internet connection.
- Model: Subscription at launch, with AVOD to follow in select markets.
First-look slate and familiar favourites
Kava’s opening lineup features a mix of new premium Nollywood films and series alongside fan-favourite classics. Expect buzzy titles from leading creators, plus iconic hits like The Wedding Party and King of Boys that helped define contemporary Nollywood for global audiences. New content will be added weekly to keep discovery fresh.
