African filmmakers must not prioritise money in collaboration -Deputy CEO of FilmHouse Group urges
The Co-Founder/Group Deputy Managing Director for FilmHouse Group, Moses Babatope is encouraging African filmmakers to make money the topmost interest in collaborate.
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He was very certain that collaborations would bring the best results to the African film industry.
Citing Nigeria’s Wedding Party to buttress his point, Mr Babatope said the best works came from collaborations and that players should not always make economic gains the priority in collaborations. (NFA unveils speakers for Ghana’s African Cinema Summit )
“We all know how Wedding Party became one of the biggest box offices in Africa. That film was a collaboration among four film production companies and we saw the outcome.
“So yes, money is good but we should always look out for the opportunities, knowledge and expertise that such collaborations bring to the table,” he stated.
Mr Babatope was speaking at the maiden edition of Africa Cinema Summit which opened in Accra on Tuesday, November 14.
In an earlier address, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Film Authority (NFA), Ms Juliet Asante, noted that Africa boasted of the largest youth population and yet the continent had failed as storytellers and story lovers to get them into the cinemas.
“This is part of a cinema agenda strategy by the National Film Authority of Ghana to work to impact the cinema space with a pan-African approach,” she stated.
In their respective addresses, the Country Manager for Silverbird Cinemas, Ghana, Funmi Onuma; the Product Manager, Filmmakers Mart, Kingsley Asoegwu, and the Co-founder of FilmHouse Group, Moses Babatope, pledged their commitment to the growth of African cinema.
The Africa Cinema Summit is being organised by NFA in partnership with Filmhouse Group and Silverbird Cinemas, Ghana.