What Statement Films does

Statement Films is a women-led entertainment startup founded in 2023 and headquartered in Los Angeles, USA. The company's stated objective is to locate and develop intellectual property from African female creators and to expand global visibility for African and diaspora women filmmakers ('the African Creative Class'). It operates three product pillars: a Creator Studio offering tools and resources to African creators, a Film & TV content production and distribution arm focused on African and diaspora women filmmakers (with documented features like coverage of Disney's Iwájú and the Netflix series Postcards), and a broader Statement Media Platform marketed under the brand 'Statement Africa,' which publishes editorial coverage of African culture across Film, TV, Music, Sports, Fashion, and Books. The product surface is essentially editorial and IP-development, with content hosted on statementafrica.com and auxiliary presence on Instagram, Twitter, and a Substack newsletter.

The business model and revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed; the company is explicitly flagged as pre-revenue in available sources, with no pricing model, contracts, sponsorships, or distribution deals disclosed. The named customer segment is African women filmmakers (both continent-based and diaspora), positioned as a single-persona vertical, implying a B2C/audience and B2B/talent-supply hybrid. Go-to-motion is organic social-led audience engagement, not enterprise sales, with no disclosed paid acquisition, partnerships with streaming platforms, or licensing arrangements beyond ecosystem mentions. The founder and CEO is Areej Noor, and the team size is 1-10.

The company raised $750,000 in a February 2023 pre-seed round from Magic Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson, and LaTanya Richardson Jackson, who also serve as flagship financial partners. Geographic scope spans North America (US operations) and Africa (editorial coverage and IP sourcing), and the company is privately held with no parent company or public listing. There are no disclosed patents, regulatory actions, awards, M&A activity, or follow-on funding rounds beyond the pre-seed.

Name

Statement Films

Legal name

Statement Films

Website

https://statement-films.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Statement Films is a women-led entertainment startup that develops content and IP from African women creators. Operating from Los Angeles, it produces film/TV projects and runs the Statement Africa media platform covering African culture across multiple verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media & Entertainment / Film & TV Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110), Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Development & Packaging (IP Sourcing, Script, Attachments) (MPADAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Branded Documentary & Purpose-Driven Content (MPADAEAJ), Branded Documentary / Nonfiction (Corporate & NGO) (MPADADAK), Video/Film Creative Agencies (Concept-to-Creative) (MPAAAAAG)

Keywords

• African women filmmakers
• Film production
• Media platform
• Creator development
• African cultural content

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Statement Films is a media and entertainment company that identifies and develops intellectual property from African women filmmakers through a Creator Studio program, produces film and TV projects based on this IP, and distributes editorial coverage and content via its Statement Media Platform. The company operates at the intersection of talent development, content production, and digital publishing focused on African creatives and stories.

Product overview

Statement Films is a women-led entertainment startup that operates a media platform focused on African creatives. The company offers a Creator Studio for creator development, Film & TV content production featuring African and diaspora women filmmakers, and a broader media platform covering African culture across Film, TV, Music, Sports, Fashion, and Books. The company emerged from pre-seed funding in February 2023 backed by celebrity investors including Magic Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson, and LaTanya Richardson Jackson.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creator Studio
• Film & TV
• Statement Media Platform

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ARRAY: Ava DuVernay's collective focused on representation of people of color in film; directly comparable as a mission-driven content company developing and distributing work by underrepresented filmmakers, including women of color.
• Macro: Production and IP company focused on stories from multicultural perspectives, including Black, Brown, and Indigenous creators. Comparable as a content company explicitly built around diverse creator development and packaging.
• Higher Ground Productions: Production company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama producing films, series, and podcasts with purpose-driven storytelling. Comparable as a celebrity-backed content company leveraging investor prestige to source and develop social-impact IP.
• Color Creative: Multicultural content company developing scripted and unscripted IP from writers of color. Highly comparable as a similarly-sized, mission-driven content development and production venture.

Broad incumbents

• A24: Major independent film and television studio known for distinctive, filmmaker-driven projects. Comparable as a scaled production and distribution player in the indie/arthouse space where Statement Films ultimately aims to compete.
• Lionsgate: Diversified entertainment company with significant independent film operations. Relevant as an incumbent acquirer/distributor of the type of independent and diverse-content IP Statement Films develops.

Regional players

• FilmOne Entertainment: Largest film distributor and producer in West Africa, distributing Nollywood titles and international films across the continent. Comparable as a key African content production and distribution infrastructure peer.
• EbonyLife Media: Nigerian media conglomerate producing film, TV, and lifestyle content across Africa and the diaspora. Comparable as a production company rooted in African creative talent with ambitions to serve both local and global audiences.

Emerging players

• Emerging Pictures: Independent distribution and production company focused on specialty and diverse-content films for theatrical and digital release. Comparable as a small-to-mid-sized player operationalizing distribution for independent filmmakers.
• Black TV & Film Collective: Community and advocacy organization supporting Black creators across TV and film. Comparable as a niche ecosystem player working to expand opportunity for underrepresented filmmakers — overlapping mission with Statement Films.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Statement_films
• Instagraminstagram.com/statementafrica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Statement Films