Blacksand Pictures have announced that production will begin in April on their new online factual series Tastes of Africa.
Tastes of Africa, a 3 x 15-minute series, will be available to Australian and New Zealand audiences on YouTube via distribution partner African Australian. Plans are also underway to distribute long-form versions internationally, including an international screening tour across Africa later in the year. Principal production funding is from Screen Australia, in association with VicScreen.
Produced by Blacksand’s Kauthar Abdulalim (Salma’s Season), written and directed by Rendah Haj (Hayat) and hosted by Santilla Chingaipe, Tastes of Africa will take viewers across Melbourne’s kitchens, community cook-ups, and hidden eateries, guided by the traditional wisdom of aunties and younger African-Australians who are boldly reinterpreting recipes.
A rich, sensory journey that celebrates food, memory, and identity, the series will weave together observational documentary and intimate first-person narration, anchored by warm, candid conversations and immersive cooking scenes from across the diverse African-Australian community.
Host Santilla Chingaipe is a Zambian-born filmmaker, historian and author, whose work explores settler colonialism, slavery, and contemporary migration in Australia. Chingaipe was recognised at the United Nations as one of the most influential people of African descent in the world in 2019. She delivered the annual E.W Cole lecture in 2023 on ‘Who Gets to Write History?’
Kauthar Abdulalim is an award-winning Australian Muslim filmmaker and producer, originally from Kenya and now based in Melbourne. Known for her powerful storytelling, her short film The Ninth Tower (2021) premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival and is now streaming on SBS OnDemand, and she has produced digital series including the TikTok rom-com #MATCHED and YouTube’s Salma’s Season, along with her contributions on major factual productions for both the ABC and SBS.
As the founder of Blacksand Pictures, Kauthar is creating both scripted and factual content, earning Screen Australia’s Screen Enterprise Business grant in 2023, which supported her expansion into Kenya and the MENA region, including a collaboration with the Saudi Film Commission. A vocal advocate for inclusivity, Kauthar pioneered Australia’s first Inclusion Rider and Muslim-specific Cultural Safety Policy in screen production. She was also one of four Australian producers selected for WIFT Australia’s inaugural Content London Catalyst Program in 2025.
Rendah Haj is a documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on social issues, human rights, and untold stories of the African diaspora. Her award-winning graduate film, Hayat (SBS OnDemand), received international acclaim, screening at festivals including DOC NYC, Slamdance, St Kilda, and the New York African Film Festival. Her latest film, My Brother, Soleiman, premiered on CBC in 2024 and was nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Documentary Program. The film investigates the story of Soleiman Faqiri, a man with schizophrenia who died after 11 days in an Ontario jail, while chronicling his brother’s determined fight for justice.
As a film programmer and curator, Rendah has led the Academy Award–qualifying short documentary category at Slamdance for several years. She also serves as Director of Programming at Nova Frontier in Brooklyn, NYC, and has worked with major festivals, including TIFF.
Kauthar Abdulalim said: “Tastes of Africa reflects the kind of storytelling Blacksand Pictures is committed to: culturally grounded, audience-facing, and globally resonant. This series celebrates African-Australian communities with intimacy and joy, while creating space for stories that have long been underrepresented in Australia’s factual landscape.”
The series’ promotion and industry development is supported by Kenya Film Commission, the government agency mandated to promote authentic African stories globally, strengthen the film and television value chain, and position Kenya as a preferred regional and international hub for audiovisual production. The Commission is led by Timothy Owase, a Certified Film Commissioner and industry leader whose strategic initiatives have significantly advanced Kenya’s and Africa’s film industry.
Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Owase said: “At the Kenya Film Commission, we are proud to support productions that showcase authentic African narratives to the world. Our commitment is to build a strong, sustainable industry that creates opportunities for Kenyan creatives while positioning Kenya as a premier filming destination.”