African filmmakers should emulate Nollywood -UNESCO

NATIONAL Programme Officer for Culture, UNESCO, Carl Ampah, is urging African filmmakers and industry players to emulate the economic model of Nigeria’s film industry, popularly known as Nollywood, in the areas of film distribution and production, which has been successful over the years.

Nollywood’s model of development could help other African countries to build vibrant and self-sustaining commercial industries.

“The production and distribution of film and audiovisual works is one of the most dynamic growth sectors in the world. Thanks to digital technologies, production has been growing rapidly in Africa in recent years. (Africa Cinema Summit opens in Accra with a call for African filmmakers to tell African stories)

“The case of Nollywood with about 2,500 films made each year is emblematic in this respect. It has enabled the emergence of a local industry of production and distribution with its own economic model.

“The Nollywood model of development can help other African countries to build fully home-grown, self-sustaining commercial industries,” he said.

Speaking on the theme, Fostering collaborations among African countries at the open day of the maiden three-day Africa Cinema Summit in Accra on Tuesday, November 14, Mr Ampah said Africa presented a variety of creative ecosystems in which emerging film and audiovisual powerhouses such as Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco and Egypt were taking advantage of. 

He mentioned that Africa could boast of the largest concentration of youth in the world, including an abundance of stories, but the continent had far from reached its full potential.

“In most African countries, advances in film and audio-visual production have not been accompanied by governmental regulation and financial support, effectively hindering the development of the film industry.

“Overall, the film and audiovisual sector in Africa remains historically and structurally underfunded, underdeveloped and undervalued, generating only $5 billion in annual revenue out of the potential $20 billion, according to Pan African Federation of Filmmakers(FEPACI),” he said.

The Africa Cinema Summit, the first of its kind in Africa, is a key commitment of the Ghana Cinema Agenda launched by the NFA to revamp the film sector in Ghana.

It is expected to bring together major players and decision-makers, such as government officials, film authorities and commissions from various African countries, to explore ways to address challenges in the industry.

Activities lined up for the summit, which ends today, November 16, 2023, include panel discussions, film screening, conferences and exhibitions, awards night and studio presentations.