International Emmy Award-nominated South African production company Boss Worlds and Atlanta-based Freeli Films have entered into a co-production partnership to develop and produce premium micro-drama series and feature films, the companies announced Thursday at the Joburg Film Festival.
The production will be shot in the United States as well as in South Africa and across the continent, and the companies said in a statement that the content will be “designed first and foremost for audiences in South Africa, broader Africa and the United States, and from there to the world.”
Taye Diggs, who co-starred with Frieli in the new romantic drama Another Man’s Wife (pictured), has been cast in the companies’ first co-production, pairing the American star with an established South African and African actor.
Freeli Films was founded by CEO J. Carter with a clear mission to center Black stories and Black talent both in front of and behind the camera. The company said it is working to prove that Black-led dramas are at the center of the micro-drama boom, not the periphery, and is looking to leverage its established relationships with key U.S. talent.
Both Worlds brings nearly 30 years of award-winning production, a creative team with deep roots in African storytelling and broadcasting, and strong, proven distribution relationships.
The co-production with Freeli Films forms Amazi’s premium international arm. Amazi is a new content brand and production entity established by Both Worlds to develop original short-form vertical content for African audiences, starting in South Africa and expanding across the continent.
The banner’s content will focus on hyper-local African series produced in local languages and by local casts in South Africa and across the African continent, as well as premium English-language co-productions with international partners such as Freely Films, combining South African and African film talent with globally recognized performers.
Banner’s distribution strategy is built around partnerships with major mobile operators across Africa, allowing us to tap into the continent’s mobile audience of over 1 billion people. The company says these underserved demographics make Africa one of the “most important growth markets” for the microdrama industry, with annual revenue expected to grow to $26 billion by 2030.
The partnership with Freeli Films is the first in a series of international co-production deals that Both Worlds is establishing under the Amazi banner as it builds a diversified global footprint alongside its program of original works in African languages. The company began production on its first microdrama in November 2025, led by executive producer Flavia Motsisi and veteran head writer and executive producer Karen Jaynes.
Motsisi, who will host the Microdrama panel at JBX Market on March 5, has been named chief creative officer at Amazi.
“Africa has always had dynamic and extraordinary stories. What’s missing is a format built for the way Africans actually watch content on their phones, in their local languages, that reflects their lives,” Motsisi said. “Amazi is our answer to that, and our partnership with Freeli Films is rooted in what we share: the belief that expression is not a gesture towards an audience, but the foundation on which work is built.”
“We chose to partner with Freeli Films because we share the same starting point: the belief that the audiences for whom we create the content deserve to be seen fully on screen, without compromise,” said Thierry Caste, Executive Chairman of Both Worlds. “South Africa and Africa have exceptional talent on both sides of the camera that the world has yet to see. Amazi is the platform to change that, and Freeli is just the right partner to help us go further than we could on our own.”
J. Carter, CEO of Freeli Films, said: “Our partnership with Both Worlds is not just an international collaboration, but a strategic alliance rooted in culture, authenticity and scale. At Freeli Films, we believe in meeting black audiences where they are, not where the industry expects them to be. And that means creating microdramas and feature films that reflect their realities, ambitions and global impact.”
“Best serving African and African American consumers is not a niche strategy; it is the future of storytelling. When we invest in stories that honor the depth, complexity and purchasing power of African audiences, we not only expand our market, we build a legacy,” he added.
The Joburg Film Festival will be held from March 3rd to 8th in Johannesburg, South Africa.
