Originally from the Central African Republic, Éric Idriss-Kanago started out in audiovisual production, navigating with ease between Africa and Europe. In Senegal, he founded IKA964, his first production company, laying the foundations for a career that would span over twenty years and three continents.
The first years of her career allowed her to forge solid relationships with emerging filmmakers from the African diaspora and to develop a thorough understanding of the financing and distribution mechanisms of African cinema in Europe. His collaboration with the Franco-Senegalese director Alain Gomis proved to be particularly fruitful. In 2001, he served as executive producer on L'Afrance, the first feature film by Gomis. This film, which sensitively explores the condition of African immigrants in France through the story of a Senegalese student struggling with residence permit problems, has had a remarkable track record in festivals (Locarno, FESPACO).
Éric consolidates his position in the film industry by producing a series of short films that are shown at international festivals: among others Petite Lumière (Gomis, 2003), Aïcha (Aduaka, 2004) and Deweneti (Gaye, 2006). These collaborations demonstrate its ability to identify promising talents and support them in their first achievements. This period culminates with Todayi in 2012, his first feature film as a main producer. The film by Alain Gomis, presented in competition at the Berlinale, won the FESPACO Gold Stallion in 2013.
By settling in Quebec, Éric enriched his expertise through training at HEC Montréal focused on data valorization and management. In 2018, he founded Yzanakio, a Montreal production company that is now establishing itself as an independent creative laboratory, dedicated to the emergence of stories that are both singular and universal. Driven by a committed and poetic vision, the company aims to highlight the universal aspiration for happiness and dignity that inhabits every human being. Under the leadership of Eric, Yzanakio produced and co-produced several remarkable cinematographic works.
Projects like Je Suis La France (2023), a feature-length documentary that delves into the systemic reality of police violence or Ibuka, Justice (2024), an animated documentary short film directed by Justice Rutikara was released. The project Kanaval (2023), directed by Henri Pardo, marks an important turning point. This feature-length fiction film won the Amplify Voices Award at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2023 and received several nominations at the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards, confirming Yzanakio's ability to produce quality works recognized by the industry. More recently, he co-produced Allah is not obligated, an animated adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ahmadou Kourouma. Directed by Zaven Najjar, this feature film brings together a multilateral co-production (France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Canada). Presented at the prestigious Annecy and Red Sea Festivals in 2025, this project perfectly illustrates Éric's ability to mobilize international partners around major African stories.
But Eric's vision doesn't end on the big screen. Convinced that the power of stories goes beyond the formats, with his team, of high-impact television works, such as Cult Underground (2024-) by Aline-Sitoé N'Diaye, Afro-Canada (2022) by Henri Pardo or My crossing (2023) by Diana Goudrouffe have fully found their place in the televisions of the world. These creations extend Yzanakio's mission: to give voice and visibility to those who transform society through art and speech. From one continent to another, Éric continues his work as a storyteller, convinced that the image, when it is sincere and free, has the power to connect, move and awaken consciousness.
His productions have been selected and awarded at the most prestigious festivals in the world: the Berlinale, the Venice Film Festival, FESPACO, Seattle and Sydney. This international recognition testifies to his ability to produce works that resonate across cultural boundaries while remaining deeply rooted in African and Afro-diasporic realities.
Beyond production, Éric invests in collective structures aimed at transforming the audiovisual industry. He co-founded Black-on-Black Films, a collective dedicated to the promotion of Afro-centric content, and Coalition M.É.D.I.A., an organization that represents Indigenous, Afro-descended, and racialized French-speaking producers and creators in Canada. His expertise is also sought after by numerous private and public fund juries, both in Canada and internationally, allowing him to influence financing policies and support the emergence of new voices in the industry.
Her background illustrates the possibilities offered by a cross-border approach to African and diaspora cinema, where artistic quality and social commitment feed off each other to create cinema that matters.