Towards boosting African cinema, stakeholders in the sector will meet at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel and Silverbird Cinema, in Accra, Ghana for the maiden edition of the African Cinema Summit (ACS).
For decades, African cinema has been in the quest for its style, and also devising a means where the industry will overcome foreign influences.
In times past, one such means of getting well entertained was visiting cinemas to watch musicals, stage plays, and other presentations, a situation, which declined along the line, before the slow growth of African film abated, thanks to new technology and investment.
In recent times, things have changed once again and the culture of visiting cinemas is being revived especially among the youthful population, as going to cinemas projects opportunities for networking and other social interactions as well as a medium to unwind..
To keep this burning, the National Film Authority of Ghana (NFA) announced a new strategic partnership with FilmOne Group (Nigeria) and Silverbird Cinema (Ghana) to host the inaugural ACS.
Key highlights of the event will include a showcase of contemporary African films alongside industry-focused sessions such as tailored business matchmaking events, panel discussions, keynote speeches by African industry leaders, and dedicated networking sessions for visitors.
The summit marks a pivotal moment in the history of the African film industry. With the collective aim of fostering growth, innovation, and collaboration, the summit seeks to unite cinema stakeholders on the continent, offering a platform for insightful industry business dialogues, opportunity exchanges, and strategic partnerships. This initiative represents the first gathering on the African continent, aimed at propelling the African cinema ecosystem to greater heights.
Speaking at a media parley, in Lagos ahead of the summit slated to run from November 14, to 16, 2023, the CEO, of National Film Authority of Ghana, Lagos, Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante, said: “Africa is cinema’s greatest opportunity in the 21st Century and the Africa Cinema Summit (ACS) serves as a call and pathway to realising the potential of cinema for both the people of Africa, and the cinema world globally.
Cinema energises communities socially, culturally, and economically, and at a time when over 40 per cent of the global youth population is projected to be in Africa in just a few years, ACS is extremely timely. Ghana is excited to lead the agenda and host discussions on the continent’s cinema ecosystem and highlight its huge growth opportunity to a global audience.”
“With a total of 1,653 screens across the continent serving 1.3 billion people, Africa is by far the most underserved continent concerning cinema distribution, according to UNESCO.“As a filmmaker, I am very clear that without developing the sector, it will not grow as we want it to; I am also clear about its potential for Africa. We need jobs, we need to create economic viability for our young people, and we need education and a change of mindset.
“Africans need the cinema experience just as much as anyone else around the world and we know that doing this, we need to do it with the biggest player on the continent, which is Nigeria when it comes to content.
When asked about why it took stakeholders such a long time to organise a summit, she said: “Sometimes when we are looking for steps to take as a continent, the attention of government goes to low-hanging fruit. It is difficult to move when the government is not supporting and investment is not focused on the sector.
“We are expecting more money, more investment into the sector after this summit.
Also, Co-Founder, of Film House Group, Moses Babatope, said: “We are expecting South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana Sierra Leone, Liberia; we are expecting 30 countries with 10 already confirmed.
“It’s important to consider the possibility of Nigerian cinemas setting up in Tanzania, Mauritius, and others.
“We need access to capital. It is difficult due to the rate of naira to dollar; we import everything; from seats to the projection systems, sound systems are not made here, and we can’t be taking loans at 32 percent.
“To hit the number like in the UK, we need over $20 billion but $100 million will make a big difference as it would double the number of cinema locations.
