Idris Elba (middle) in a pose with some of the participants
The second edition of the Africa Cinema Summit (ACS) opened on Monday, October 7, 2024 at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, with a call for Africans to build a strong cinema network.
The summit, with the theme “Is Cinema Relevant in African Communities?”, is being organised by Ghana’s National Film Authority (NFA) and scheduled to end on Thursday, October 10.
The three-day event will feature legendary British actor Idris Elba, who is also the Chairman of the Akuna Group and IE7.
The Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, and his deputy, Mark Okraku Mantey, graced the opening ceremony.
On Monday, the event’s first day was attended by industry stakeholders from across Africa, including Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Angola.
The keynote address for the second edition of the Africa Cinema Summit was given by Juliet Yaa Asantewaa Asante, CEO of the National Film Authority.
She issued a challenge to those involved in the film industry to tell African stories rather than stand by and let others tell theirs.
“With time, Africans have become spectators as we sit and watch the world tell their stories, with little access or funding to do ours and do it well, and our cinemas have dried up.
“Now, our children never really get to see themselves on the big screen and never even get to perhaps enter a cinema to witness the magic of a big screen,” she stated.
Ms. Asante pointed out that a strong cinema means a film production will be seen by a substantive percentage of African audience, adding, “A strong cinema network will mean that a film released in Ghana or Nigeria or Morocco or Angola can reach all of our people.”
Juliet Asante during the launch of the Africa Cinema Summit in June touted the region’s cinematic prowess and called for a holistic approach in Africa Cinema industry.