Days after his role as Okonkwo in an upcoming series based on the novel Things Fall Apart was announced, Idris Elba is once again in Africa’s filmmaking news. The popular actor will be appearing at the second Africa Cinema Summit in Ghana.
Scheduled to take place from October 7 to 10 at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, the event is organised by the National Film Authority of Ghana. The news was first announced by Deadline.
Elba will be joined by Fiona Lamptey, co-founder of Juno Studios and former Netflix executive, and Ghana’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer. Under the theme The Relevance of Cinema in African Communities, the summit will feature discussions on the current surge in local content production and consumption, ways to advocate for cinema investment, and reimagining cinema experiences for Africa’s underserved lower-income audiences.
“Africa has been at the forefront of communication and storytelling for centuries, but sadly this innovation and the complex stories originating on the continent have been largely unnoticed,” Elba told Deadline.
He added: “I am thrilled to be part of this year’s Africa Cinema Summit, where the focus will be on how Africans, on the continent and in the diaspora, can propel the cinema and content ecosystem to new heights and bring global awareness to our rich, dynamic, youthful and vibrant Africa.”
Representatives from Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Angola are expected to attend. Also expected are executives from Afreximbank and the IFC.
CEO of the National Film Authority of Ghana Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante said, “The sector remains resilient, with local content stepping up in countries like Nigeria to fill content gaps. The continent holds the largest potential market growth for cinema and our work is to make the potential a reality that benefits African communities. I look forward to welcoming our esteemed guests to Accra, Ghana”.
The Summit Speaker lineup includes the key figures of King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, king of the Ga Traditional Area in southern Ghana; Hon. Sandrine Umutoni, Minister of State for Youth and Arts of the Republic of Rwanda; H.E. Dr. Onyekachi Macaulay O. Kalu, Chairman, African Union Sixth Region; Moses Babatope, Founder and CEO of Nile Media Entertainment Group; Kunle Afolayan, Film Producer/Director; Ope Ajayi, CEO of CINEMAX and President of the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria; and Patrick Lee, Head of Operations, at Viva Cinemas Nigeria, amongst others.
