More Than a Producer: Ma-Afrika Setona’s Approach to Creating Meaningful Film and Television

As a filmmaker and producer, Setona approaches each project with the belief that cinema can be both an artistic medium and a vehicle for meaningful change. Her producing work has allowed her to explore stories dealing with identity, migration, displacement, human resilience, family, and the complexities of the human experience, while simultaneously developing the practical leadership skills required to bring those stories to life.

One of the projects that reflects this approach is The Road, a production centered around migration, displacement, and human resilience. The project speaks to Setona’s interest in stories that examine what it means to leave behind the familiar and navigate an uncertain future. As a producer, she helped transform the story from an idea into a collaborative production, working across the many moving parts required to create a cohesive film. The experience strengthened her understanding of how producing can give socially relevant stories the structure and support they need to reach an audience.

Her producing work also extends into stories that examine more intimate and personal experiences. Everything’s Fine represents another dimension of her creative interests, demonstrating her willingness to work across different narratives and emotional landscapes. Through projects such as this, Setona continues to develop her ability to identify the heart of a story, build the right creative environment around it, and guide a team toward a shared artistic vision.

At the center of Setona’s producing philosophy is the belief that filmmaking can become an engine for opportunity. Through her production company, A Ma-Afrika Productions, she hopes to create a platform where emerging African filmmakers, writers, actors, designers, technicians, and other creatives can gain meaningful opportunities to participate in the industry. For Setona, producing means more than managing a production. It means building teams, developing talent, creating employment, and establishing an environment where young creatives can gain the experience necessary to build sustainable careers.

Her work on The Road, Everything’s Fine, and her other productions is therefore part of a much larger trajectory. Each project becomes an opportunity to sharpen her craft as a producer while contributing to the kind of industry she wants to see: one that is more inclusive, more ambitious, more representative, and more willing to invest in its emerging generation.