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Babatunde Apalowo’s highly anticipated directorial debut, All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White, is now available to stream on Max Europe.
Set in Lagos, the film stars Tope Tedela and Riyo David and explores the story of two men who develop a deep connection and attraction to each other, against the backdrop of societal norms and expectations in Nigeria.
All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White has had a stellar run at film festivals worldwide after its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2023, where it clinched the Teddy Award for Best Feature Film. The film’s appearance at the Berlinale marked Nigeria’s second entry into the festival after Eyimofe in 2020.
Other achievements on its journey include nominations for Best Actor in Drama & Best Director at the 2023 AMVCA, the Special Jury Prize at AFRIFF 2023 and Best Cinematography Award at Raindance Film Festival in the UK.
Since its festival run, one question has been on film lovers’ lips: ‘Where can I watch the film?’
Apalowo recognises the challenges currently facing African film distribution, however, for All The Colours, it comes in two folds, “First, finding distributors willing to take a chance on stories that don’t conform to mainstream expectations, and second, protecting the film from piracy which disproportionately affects underrepresented regions’, he stated.
Earlier this year, it was discovered that the film was available to stream on Xumo Play, a North American streaming platform, without licensing from the film’s team and has since been taken down.
“There have been multiple attempts to pirate Colours, and our sales agent has been actively combatting these breaches. It’s an incredibly frustrating situation knowing that people want to see the film, wanting them to see it, yet facing the stark reality that there are no established structures to properly bridge that gap.”, the director remarked.
All The Colours is now legally available on Max Europe while further efforts are underway to officially make the film accessible in Africa and North America.
Since making All The Colours, Director Apalowo has been busy. One of his projects in development, Londoner, described as a “story of migration, family, and geographical displacement,” has been presented at co-production markets in Berlin and Durban.
In late 2024, a new project, In the Shadows of Good Fortune, in collaboration with Lala Akindoju, was selected for Marrakesh’s Atlas Workshop Post Production lab, under the tutelage of U.S. director, Jeff Nichols.
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(Updated 21/03/2025: This article has been updated to include comments from the film’s director.)
