THE AFRICAN FILM LANDSCAPE IS ABOUT TO CHANGE…..
Idris Elba African odyssey in boosting film industries in Ghana, Tanzania and beyond. This has him making a commitment to developing Africa’s film industry to the next level. The Golden Globe-winning actor plans to build film studios in Ghana and Tanzania over the next decade. He is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice: leaving his London postcode behind.
The need to bolster African film industry.
“I’m here to bolster the film industry — that is a 10-year process,” Elba told the BBC. “I won’t be able to do that from overseas. I need to be in-country, on the continent.”
Idris Elba who is no stranger to Africa, as his roots run deep within the continent. Idris’s father hails from Sierra Leone while his mother is from Ghana. The “Beast” star said he plans to split his time between Accra, Freetown, and Zanzibar . This will allow him to immerse himself in the local storytelling scenes.
Tanzanian authorities have already allocated Elba a 200-acre plot in Zanzibar, where he plans to build a state-of-the-art film studio, dubbed West African Studios. The facility promises to be a game-changer for African filmmaking, rivaling the likes of Hollywood, Nollywood, and Bollywood. It could become “Zollywood” says Shariff Ali Shariffi the country’s investment minister.
Idris Elba’s vision for African filmmaking is taking shape, with plans to build film studios in Ghana and Tanzania over the next decade. “This move aims to address the existing facilities’ shortcomings and bolster the continent’s film industry’, Elba told the Ghanian press in February 2023.
UNESCO REPORT
A report done by UNESCO in 2022 highlighted that despite significant growth in production, with Nigeria’s film industry producing around 2,500 movies annually and generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, African film production faces numerous challenges. These include piracy, limited training opportunities, and a lack of official film institutions ¹.
Idris Elba is on a mission to revolutionize Africa’s film industry and challenge the dominant Western narratives about the continent. “This sector is a soft power, not just across Ghana but across Africa,” he emphasized in a BBC interview . Elba believes that with the right resources and infrastructure, African filmmakers can reclaim their stories and showcase the continent’s rich cultural heritage.
Western media has perpetuated a skewed narrative about Africa, focusing on trauma, slavery, colonization, and war. So Elba is determined to change this. “When you come to Africa, you will realize that it’s not true,” he said. “It’s really important that we own those stories of our tradition, of our culture, of our languages, of the differences between one language and another.”
Through his initiatives, Elba aims to reframe the way Africa is viewed and provide opportunities for African storytellers to shine. As he put it, “It’s about being self-reliant, it’s about bringing an economy that feeds itself and has growth potential.”
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