Hello Sonia!
You have been Head of Fiction Projects for Africa at CANAL+ International for just over a year, and in this role you are responsible for original programming on the continent. Can you tell us about your career path?
Hello. A little over a year ago, I joined CANAL+ International as Head of Fiction Projects for Africa, based on the continent.
I was previously Production Director in charge of development at Plan A, where I participated in the production of series such as De plus en plus loin, Obatanga S1, Niabla, and Cacao S2, to name just a few of the Canal+ Original series.
My career has been marked by experience in audiovisual production and content development, with a strong interest in African stories and talent from the continent.
Let's take a look back at the lineup of original CANAL+ productions for 2024 and the first half of 2025.
In 2024 and 2025, we broadcast or planned to broadcast several highly diverse CANAL+ ORIGINAL series:
· Playgame (6×50 min) by Cheick Diallo and Emmanuel Sapolski– Produced in Senegal by Keewu and Mediawan . A young, seductive, and ambitious lawyer wants revenge on three women responsible for the manslaughter of his mother. He creates three identities to achieve his goal.
· EWUSU (8×52 min) by Françoise Ellong, produced by Wouri Studio and Merveille Production – A series centered on a psychologist who returns to Cameroon. She opens a practice there, but no one is interested. However, when she encounters a mystical problem, clients begin to flock to her…
· Obatanga S2 (6×52 min) by Alex Ogou and Jean Luc Rabatel, produced by Plan A – Following on from the first season, this series follows the characters as they embark on a new investigation in a complex political and family saga set in the heart of a fictional African country.
· Eki S2 (10×45 min) by Boris Oué, Angela Aquereburu, and Thian Thiandoune, produced by OSSOO – In Gabon, Eki is a family court judge. After the tragic death of her father, who was accused of rape, she tries to understand the underlying reasons behind this tragedy. A poignant series about justice, family, and buried secrets.
· Lex Africana (6×52 min) by Aliou Sow and Lewis Martin Soucy – the first African action series produced in partnership with Mediawan. It tells the story of a Senegalese architect who returns to Senegal following the death of his father. While searching for the truth about his father's death, he finds himself confronted with a secret and Machiavellian organization.
· Cacao S2 (8×52 min) by Kismath Baguiri, Angela Aquereburu, and Alex Ogou, produced by Plan A – the second season of this family saga about the cocoa industry in West Africa explores the devastating effects of illegal gold mining on nature and cocoa farming in the Caodji region.
· LAKANTANE, the jellyfish (8×52 min) – by Angèle Diabang and Kismath Baguiri, produced in Senegal by Karoninka, this ecological thriller follows young fishermen fighting against the destruction of their island, threatened by a hotel complex project.
· Lagos Police Criminelle (10×52 min) by Lindsey Efedjukwu and Patrick Uduak, produced by Asake Film – This Nigerian series (to be broadcast in July 2025) features a special brigade facing a terrorist threat in Nigeria's economic capital.
· Lucas, the shadow man by Gareth Crocker and Fred Wolmarans, produced by Motion Story – A South African series about a former special agent turned private detective who is confronted with his past.
· Dr Wlika (10×52 min) by Jacques Trabi and Andy Melo, produced by BABI PICTURES and Plan A – The first medical series from Ivory Coast. It follows a doctor who combines modern medicine and traditional knowledge in a clinic in Abidjan.
· Welcome to Kikideni S2 (60×26 min) by Aminata Diallo Glez. Produced in Burkina Faso by Jovial' Production, this comedy takes place in a small village where modernity and tradition intersect.
On which channels are these series broadcast?
Original series are broadcast on CANAL+ POP or CANAL+ Première, depending on the series' positioning.
The original production is truly impressive! How do you go about promoting all of these series to African audiences?
We did indeed broadcast more than a dozen CANAL+ ORIGINAL series in 2024/2025. These series benefit from CANAL+'s powerful media presence, and we run local poster campaigns in major cities where CANAL+ is established, with additional support in the countries where the series are produced. Depending on the positioning of the project, we also organize preview evenings with all the accompanying communication, invitations to public figures, influencers, journalists, and advertisers. And, of course, we roll out digital campaigns, trailer plans on CANAL+ channels, and communication on traditional television and radio media.
Beyond the companies that have been working with you for a long time, are there any new production companies being sought out for your projects?
Yes, we are constantly looking to expand our network of producers. For example, Karoninka produced one of our latest series. However, producing a premium series requires experience: very often, the producers who come to us with projects have either experience in cinema or experience in daily series. It's not necessarily easy to make the transition to 52-minute premium series.
We therefore give preference to those who have a director or technical team in their team who has already made a premium series.
Do you collaborate with local African channels? And with A+ Ivoire?
Yes, some projects are co-broadcast, such as Bienvenue à Kikideni, which is also broadcast on RTB in Burkina Faso. However, priority remains with CANAL+ channels.
As for A+ Ivoire, this channel has its own programming and budget. They tend to produce or purchase 26-minute series, whereas our original productions are generally 52 minutes long.
To promote their series, channels tend to talk about them well in advance (filming images, casting information, etc.). Is this something you try to do as systematically as possible?
Yes, we put together a press kit for each series. One month before broadcast, we roll out a digital communication strategy, enhanced with behind-the-scenes videos and teasers produced during post-production.
What new series will we soon be seeing on CANAL+?
Coming soon, you can discover Lagos Police Criminelle followed by Dr. Wlika. We have some wonderful stories to tell.