BLACK British film star Idris Elba is staying true to his mission to support the birth of more film and television projects in the motherland of Africa.
Elba’s new partnership with Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife was announced on Thursday. As part of the venture, Elba’s Green Door Pictures and Abudu’s EbonyLife are teaming up to back film and TV projects, and new talent from Africa and the African diaspora, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The partnership aims to ‘empower and uplift talent from Africa and the Diaspora’ by providing the backing needed to produce a slate of film and TV projects and support up-and-coming creatives and executives from Africa.
Through the initiative, Green Door and EbonyLife will ‘build capacity and foster authentic representation globally that givestories from Africa and its Diaspora’ the same ‘level of attention and respect as other cultures and communities.’
‘By partnering with Mo, we aim to offer free, world-class industry education to the next generation of storytellers and bring their authentic voices to the forefront.’
‘This partnership is a step toward creating a more inclusive and diverse media landscape, one that represents the voices and experiences of Africa and its Diaspora around the world,’ he added.
Film and TV projects that share ‘authentic, Afro-centric stories’ will be co-produced by Green Door Pictures and EbonyLife Media. In addition to backing the production efforts, the partnership will also support emerging talent through education, training, and mentorship to help inspire African talent to pursue careers in entertainment.
EbonyLife’s creative academy in Lagos will be used as a model that will be rolled out across the continent.
‘It’s our mission to offer the best in industry education, mentorship, and production opportunities so that our graduates can become valuable contributors to the global media landscape. We plan to hit the ground running and explore the very best that African and Black stories have to offer global audiences.’