Idris Elba: We Want To Bring The Movie Industry Alive In Ghana

British actor Idrissa Akuna Elba, affectionately called Idris Elba has elaborated on the need to bring to life the film-making industry in Ghana and West Africa at large.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Opemsuo radio’s entertainment show host, Mr Black, the “Beast of No Nation” actor said jobs can be created through the venture and must therefore be tackled for its benefits.

Together with his team, he is focused on establishing film-making studios in the sub-region and across Africa.

Although he recognises that some countries across the sub-region have such studios, he said they are inadequate.

“The facilities part is what me and Tony Tagoe and Daniel Damah are trying to bring in a major way to Africa…We wanna be in Ghana, we wanna be in Sierra Leone. We also want to be in East Africa and South Africa.”

During a visit to the Jubilee House, on Friday, February 3, 2023, Elba said he has been working with his team on the project for about four years to raise a plan that puts a facility at the centre of African filmmaking.

With these facilities, he said, filmmaking in Africa will be strengthened to yield its full benefits.

“Essentially what I want to do is bolster film and storytelling with the people because it’s a job-making industry. It’s like the army, you can’t have the army without the people. You can’t make films without the people so for me it’s to bring the industry alive to offer job opportunities”, he told Mr Black when he visited the Manhyia Palace.

Aside from the facilities, he wants the government to put in place policies that will make the full potential of the facility yet to be put up in Ghana, realised.

He presented the documented policies to President Akufo-Addo during his courtesy call last week.

“We realized that policy is where the actual groundwork needs to be laid. We’ve studied the models of South Africa, incredible incentive packages, Greece, Morocco and these are all places where they realize the value of the filmmaking and they’ve brought that policy into play”, he told the President according to JoyNews.

“National Film Authority has done the work and put together a very comprehensive plan to propel Ghana into the forefront. It needs to be robust and competitive to the rest of the world. We believe for sure that Ghana should step up in terms of attracting those filmmakers. I’ve come and seen you and presented to you essentially, just the parameters of what we need to do.”

Idriss Elba was born to a Sierra Leonean father and a Ghanaian mother in 1972.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini