Vanessa Obioha
At its recently held ‘See What’s Next Africa’ content showcase, streaming giant Netflix reiterated its commitment to amplifying African storytellers. This was reflected in the rollout of films and TV series slated for 2022 and 2023 for African audiences. These upcoming titles include the second season of the Pan-African reality TV show ‘Young, Famous and Africa’, ‘Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman’ from EbonyLife Films; ‘Anikulapo’, a Kunle Afolayan film as well as an Akin Omotoso’s film ‘The Brave Ones’.
The streamer also highlighted some of its investments in Africa such as the UNESCO and Netflix ‘African folktales, Reimagined’ competition; the Netflix and NFVF Film Fund and the Realness Institute Episodic Lab targeted at emerging filmmakers on the continent.
“We believe that Africa is one of the major creative centres for great storytelling that resonates around the world,” said Dorothy Ghettuba, Netflix Director of Series in Africa. “We’re proud to continue creating global opportunities for the talented creatives of this great continent and sharing their authentic stories with our members in Africa and around the world.”
As part of the company’s ongoing commitment to creating sustainable relationships with African storytellers, Netflix announced a multi-project partnership with acclaimed South African filmmaker Mandlakayise Walter Dube. Under the partnership, Mandla – who directed Netflix’s first commissioned African film ‘Silverton Siege’ will direct a variety of Netflix-owned projects which will be shared in due course. This partnership joins other multi-title agreements between the company and African creatives including Mo Abudu and Kunle Afolayan.
