Award-winning actor Idris Elba is joining forces with Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu to bring African stories and talents to a global film and TV industry. They aim to increase authentic representation and develop emerging talent through their production companies, EbonyLife Media and Green Door Pictures.
The partnership will take a two-pronged approach: Arming students from the EbonyLife Creative Academy in Lagos, Nigeria with the skills and experience they need to flourish in a competitive industry, and producing a slate of authentic African films and TV shows for the global market.
The actor, who is best known for his starring roles in the TV show “The Wire” and Hollywood movies including “Beast,” “Three Thousand Years of Longing,” “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” and “The Suicide Squad,” wants to work with budding African filmmakers, to ensure the continent’s talent gets the attention it deserves.
“I have always been passionate about using my platform to make a positive impact,” Elba said in a statement. “By partnering with Mo, we aim to offer free, world-class industry education to the next generation of storytellers and bring their authentic voices to the forefront.”
Through her EbonyLife Media company, based in Lagos, Abudu has produced original TV shows and hit Nollywood films such as “Fifty” and “The Wedding Party.” In 2020, she signed a multi-title deal with streaming giant Netflix to create two original series and several films. Forbes named her one of the Most Powerful Women, and the Hollywood Reporter listed her as one of the Top 20 Most Powerful Women in Global Entertainment.
“It’s really important for us as Africans to share our stories with the world,” Abudu said during a panel discussion at the Forbes 30/50 Summit on International Women’s Day. “If you don’t know who I am, if you don’t know my history, if you don’t know that culture, how are you going to respect me or know anything about me?”
“My stories are just as important as yours,” she added, “and they must be told.”
The EbonyLife Creative Academy, launched by Abudu in 2021, provides free film and TV industry education, mentorship and production training for 480 students every year.
The four-semester-long program, which includes courses such as acting, screenwriting and sound, is open to applicants aged 18 and over and funded by a mix of government grants and private donations. After graduating, former students can hone their skills further as trainees on EbonyLife projects.
Speaking to CNN, Abudu said Elba approached her about replicating the EbonyLife Creative Academy model across the continent after seeing the impact of the original Lagos school, and the pair’s long-term strategy is to roll out another 10-15 academies over the next five years.
“We are doing something we haven’t done with any of our other partners, which is focusing on capacity-building across the continent,” she said. “If we want to ensure that we can compete globally, we have to ensure that our up-and-coming filmmakers have those skills.”
Elba described his collaboration with Abudu as “a step towards creating a more inclusive and diverse media landscape, one that represents the voices and experiences of Africa and its Diaspora around the world.”
Abudu told CNN she recognizes the power of film as a tool for positive change and believes that collaborating with Elba is “another step in the right direction” in helping build and foster authentic representation.
“There are stories that need to be told and I am pleased that together we can build a beautiful slate of projects that we can take to these streamers and broadcasters and we can say ‘Listen, the time is now.’
Culled from CNN and Forbes.
