The African Producers Accelerator’s inaugural cohort has been announced in a Variety exclusive. Developed by South Africa’s Big World Cinema in collaboration with the Bertha Foundation, the accelerator programme was created to “tackle persistent industry barriers faced by mid-career African film and television producers”.
The first set of participants for the programme are Neo Baloyi from South Africa, Jorge Cohen from Angola, Josh Olaoluwa and Funmbi Ogunbanwo from Nigeria, Annemarie Du Plessis from South Africa, and Zimbabwean/South African filmmaker Zoe Ramushu.
According to the report, the APA will take place across 12 weeks as the cohort receives support and high-level mentorship. “Having produced in more than 30 countries on the continent with local partners,” said Steven Markovitz, founder of Big World Cinema, “we see many common challenges with very few routes to overcome them. While we will provide support services to the producers, importantly the program will also create the environment where we will all share our secrets with each other, realize our own power as independent producers other and explore ways to collaborate and support well beyond the three months.”
All of the participants have earned recognition in the field of filmmaking locally and/or internationally. Cohen is a well-known producer in his home country, having worked on a number of projects that have appeared at international venues, including Air Conditioner, which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Olaoluwa has worked on productions by popular Nigerian outfit EbonyLife. Baloyi produced the Netflix project Collision. Du Plessis has had a film show at the Venice Film Festival. Ramshu was a fellow in the Cannes Producers Network. Ogunbanwo is a producer on My Father’s Shadow, the first film from Nigeria to be screened as part of the Cannes Official Selection.
“This pilot edition of the African Producers Accelerator reflects a commitment to long-term, producer-centered development that complements existing industry programs by offering personalized and sustained support,” said Tamsin Ranger, partner at Big World Cinema.
