EXCLUSIVE: Ghana’s Black Star International Film Festival (BSIFF) has locked a unique distribution partnership with Majestic Cinemas, the Ivory Coast’s largest cinema chain, to expand the distribution of feature films between francophone and anglophone West Africa.
The deal also includes the cooperation of CINEKITA, one of the region’s top dubbing and subtitling houses, and the Nigerian studio Nile Group, led by Moses Babatope.
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As part of the deal, all three institutions will aid in the distribution of English-language African films to Francophone territories, while also reversing the flow by introducing French-language African films to English-speaking regions. The pact will work as a four-step process: The coalition of companies will be given a first look at all official selections of the Black Star International Film Festival. Selected films will be professionally dubbed and subtitled by CINEKITA. The Nile Group will handle distribution, while Majestic Cinemas will guarantee theatrical placement.
Organizers from the four companies have stated that they believe the unique distribution model could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue for the regional industry. The first film to be distributed under this model will be Son of the Soil, a collaboration between UK-Nigerian actor Raz Adoti and Hong Kong action director Chee Keong Cheung. The English-language film is slated for a French-dubbed cinematic release across Francophone Africa in December.
The deal was announced during this year’s Black Star International Film Festival, which is held annually in Accra in late September. This year’s edition marked the festival’s 10th anniversary.
Despite their geographical proximity, West African countries like Ghana and the Ivory Coast have had very disparate industries. The African continent is traditionally divided by colonial language barriers, with films in Anglophone countries like Ghana only travelling to other Anglophone countries like Nigeria.
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The seeds of this deal were first discussed at the annual Africa Cinema Summit, started by BSIFF Founder Juliet Yaa Asantewaa Asante in 2023. Idris Elba headlined the Summit’s 2024 edition.
“At the Africa Cinema Summit, we identified the critical lack of infrastructure and the language barrier as existential threats to our growth,” said Asante. “This deal is our answer. We have moved from diagnosing the problem to deploying the solution. To broker this right here at the Black Star International Film Festival proves that our platform is where Pan-African partnerships are forged and our collective vision becomes reality.”
Organizers have said a slate of projects, including an animation from Ghana and feature films from Togo and the Ivory Coast, are being “fast-tracked” through the new distribution system.
“This is the coalition we envisioned,” Asante added. “With 40% of the global youth population projected to be in Africa by 2030, we are not just preparing for that future; we are building it, together, one groundbreaking deal at a time.”
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[SRC] https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/movies/articles/ghana-black-star-international-film-145937682.html
