Country: South Africa
Big Bet: Build a youth-led network of solar-powered mobile cinemas to bring African stories, trusted public information, and new economic opportunities to underserved communities across the continent.
Project: The Sunshine Cinema Spark Impact Network trains young people across Southern Africa to operate solar-powered mobile cinemas that bring films, local stories, and vital public information to off-grid and underserved communities. These traveling screenings create accessible spaces where communities gather to watch local films, engage with issues that affect their lives, and spark meaningful dialogue.
At the same time, the network creates paid opportunities for youth organizers while expanding audiences and income streams for African filmmakers. By combining renewable energy, storytelling, and community leadership, the initiative builds last-mile cultural and information infrastructure. This ensures that communities often excluded from traditional media systems can access knowledge, participate in conversations shaping their futures, and benefit from new economic opportunities.
Sydelle Willow Smith is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Sunshine Cinema, Africa’s first solar-powered mobile cinema network. The organization trains youth as Sunbox Ambassadors to host community film screenings that spark dialogue and civic participation across Southern Africa. A storyteller, photographer, and impact producer, she is a partner in the impact production agency Makhulu Media with director Rowan Pybus, collaborating with global media organizations, NGOs, and grassroots movements. Her long-term audiovisual project Un/Settled examines white identity and belonging in post-apartheid South Africa, the USA and Australia. Sydelle is a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity and holds a master’s in African Studies from the University of Oxford.