Zavod KROG - Institute Circle’s Post

This right here 🙌🏽 Elba, who played South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela in the 2013 biopic Long Walk to Freedom, believes that it is vital for Africans to be centre-stage in the entire film-making process. That is in front of the camera, behind the camera and also in financing, distribution, marketing and showing the final product. He imagines that just as movie audiences around the world know the differences between the US cities of New York and Los Angeles without necessarily ever having visited them, they will one day have a more nuanced understanding of the continent. “This sector is a soft power, not just across Ghana but across Africa. “If you watch any film or anything that has got to do with Africa, all you’re going to see is trauma, how we were slaves, how we were colonised, how it’s just war and when you come to Africa, you will realise that it’s not true. “So, it’s really important that we own those stories of our tradition, of our culture, of our languages, of the differences between one language and another. The world doesn’t know that.” With Nigeria’s Nollywood producing hundreds of movies a year, films are arguably one of the country’s most successful exports. There is also a tradition, especially in parts of Francophone Africa, of making high-quality films. Elba has previously recognised the talent in Africa’s film industry, but said the facilities were “lacking”. The UN’s cultural agency said that despite “significant growth in production”, the business of film-making across the continent was hindered by issues such as piracy, insubstantial training opportunities and a lack of official film institutions. Elba believes with the right momentum and involvement of governments willing to create an enabling environment, a virtuous circle can be established. “We have to invest in our story-telling because when you see me, you see a little version of yourself and that encourages us.” We can’t wait for the movies that will come out! #representationmatters

Idris Elba is right: The creative power of Africa is mostly untapped. Which is interesting given its population size and its long history of story-telling. Not just in filmmaking but also in developing new creative tech, in communication and in the arts, there is a history to tap into and to draw from. Once we can move away from a US-centric creative culture (not cancel it but add to it), we will hear and see stories that we never thought possible. What it needs to make this a reality? Collaboration between African markets. Government support (at first) to build the industry. Creative jobs that pay. Schools that help prepare for those. I can't wait.

In South Africa, we are too familiar with a captured film market, be it nepotism at our film funds, narrow-minded distributors who perpetuate the stereotypes of Africans, racist local streaming platforms who portray people of colour in a condescending light, or foreign literary agents and institutions who proclaim to know the best in Africa. Our familiarity with this situation does not make it OK. It has a devastating impact on the industry as the films that receive huge financial resources struggle to make A list festivals or draw crowds to the box office. This means we do not have a sustainable local industry. Our last Oscar nomination in the foreign language feature category was 18 years ago, with Gavin Hood's "Tsotsi." This was also the last time we made it to the shortlist. The South African industry requires radical transformation and intervention. New players on the continent should not follow the downward spiral but rather actively engage with the talented independent filmmaker community, bursting with creativity and open to collaboration. Those who follow the path of the gatekeepers are forecasted for failure, as is evident with the past record.

What can replace exile? What is left when everyone leaves, and what remains? (Trails of #Migration Series #041) …… “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦, ~ 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦, ~ 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘮, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺, ~ 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦, ~ 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦, ~ 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦, ~ 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 ~ 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯." • 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗵 (𝟭𝟵𝟰𝟱-𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟭) ****************************************** The film poses the central question: What can replace exile? What is left when everyone leaves, and what remains? Keita marries drama and thriller so as to show the dark face of a Dakar left alone, abandoned by its promising sons and daughters: a Dakar underground, surviving on easy money, where individuals themselves are abandoned as families disinte- grate through exiles and absences. William Nadylam’s crude, unsentimental, and even harsh performance in the role of Adama holds the film altogether. Keita himself has acknowl- edged a certain chaos in the scenario (see his interview with Olivier Barlet, “L’Absence: Une Métaphore de l’Etat de l’Afrique,” May 2009, www.africultures. com), explaining that the shooting conditions had been so difficult and constraining that he thought this would be his last film. L’Absence was shot in five weeks with a low budget. It is only after many, though award-filled, years that the film has made its way to cinemas in 2014. (It was selected for the Rotterdam Festival and received the Best Screenplay Award at Fespaco 2009.) In the film’s tragic critique of postcolonialism one might find echoes of Cheikh Amidou Kane’s novel L’Aventure Ambigüe (1961), in which a young man returns from a promising exile at university in Paris only to find himself feeling suicidally lost and alienated at home. Such a comparison, however, risks reducing Adama’s impossible return to a situation of cultural incom- patibility. There is much more than that here. Adama is never accused of being either too assimilated or decultured. Instead, the film hints at the violence of his departure—with the moral violence of his absence mirrored and replaced by the physical violence now pulsing through Dakar. The question is not simply whether one can return after exile, but what does leaving mean? The film presents absence through its moral and social implications, and exposes its inherent contradictions, opposing the irresistible attraction of an international, “extroverted” success (see Jean-François Bayart’s The Politics of the Belly [Polity, 2009]) with a continent that has been left orphaned. Anaïs Angelo European University Institute Florence, Italy doi:10.1017/asr.2014.125 anais.angelo@eui.eu ….

A great article penned by IDRIS ELBA on "Unlocking the potential of Africa’s creative economy"! He rightly appraises and constructively advises that investing in the continent’s film industry can redefine its narrative. This is something that AFRICA: Seen & Heard steadfastly believe and commit our philanthropic support to this autumn by investing our time and contributing to filmmaking initiatives in West Africa, particularly the Green Film Festival Accra which will take place in Ghana next month. In this article that can be read by subscribers, Idris inspires economic opportunity and prosperity for the coming generation of young Africans via the film industry when he states: "Hollywood has long exported the American dream, contributing hundreds of billions of dollars to the US economy and influencing global perceptions of the country. With a much larger and more diverse population, Africa’s untapped potential can achieve similar success through its own film industry. By telling authentic stories across genres — action thrillers, period dramas, urban fantasies and more — we can not only entertain but also reframe perceptions of Africa." I agree with his identifying the growing global interest in the continent’s music, art and fashion as a testament to its creative potential and it being time for the African film industry to take centre stage. He says: "Just as K-pop and K-cinema have reshaped views of Korea, Africa’s film industry can become a potent tool for economic development and cultural diplomacy. To unlock this potential, we must foster strong collaboration between filmmakers across borders. Partnerships between African nations can pool resources, share knowledge and create co-productions reflecting the continent’s diverse narratives." This article is worth a read as it provides a framework to facilitate required change and support rather than pie in the sky pontification with no means of activation. Bravo Mr Elba 👏🏿 #idriselba #africa #creativity #creativeindustries #narratives #filmmaking #culturaldiplomacy #economicdevelopment #africasrising #youthquake2050 #africandream

Dead White Man's Clothes is the translation of the Ghanaian term Obroni Wawu which refers to the secondhand clothes which floods the markets primarily in Accra. This phrase stems from the idea that someone would have to die to give up this much stuff, which reflects the foreign nature of excess in Ghana. Click the link below to learn more about the shocking truth about the cost of excess in this fascinating documentary: https://lnkd.in/euB7ErMM

📊 Your Voice Matters! 📊 Recently, I conducted a poll to decide the style of my latest documentary, "Dollar Dreams," and the response was overwhelming: OBSERVATIONAL FILMMAKING it is! 🎥✨ I'm thrilled to announce that I've officially begun work on this exciting project, exploring Zimbabwe's vibrant informal markets. Stay tuned for tales of resilience, ambition, and community spirit! 🌍💼 Let's bring these stories to life together! 💫 #DocumentaryInProgress #Zimbabwe #DollarDreams"

Interesting read.

This is a very bold statement of ambition from the actor/producer Idris Elba. Many will welcome it. #SouthKorea however, which has invested heavily into its tech and creative sectors for over 20 years and is referenced here as an exemplar, is a #unitary #state. Africa is not. #Film #tax #credit regimes are intensely competitive by their nature: there are more than 100 competing regimes worldwide. 'Africa' does not exist for such fiscally enabled purposes. This is not in any way to disparage the scope for transcontinental media #investment, #distribution and other collaborations, but tax incentives on existing models cannot apply by definition: outside the USA they are typically based on national #cultural #tests and national tax authority inward investment agendas. A pool of interlocking incentive regimes designed to simulate a single film industry investment market for participating African countries is theoretically possible, but the political challenges to delivery - from the Maghreb to the Cape - would be immense. Idris Elba may, however, be the man to catalyse and champion new forms, or broker the necessary deal-making. He seems to have powerful friends! #filmindustry #Africa #fiscal #incentives #Africanstories Olsberg•SPI BOP Consulting #creativeeconomy

Looking foreward to the screening and the exciting panel discussion afterwords!