Idris Elba and Mo Abudu have joined forces through their production companies, Green Door Pictures and EbonyLife Media, to empower and uplift African stories.
The powerhouses are giving the next generation of African storytellers world-class training in the industry to help them tell stories that are true to life and to give them education, mentorship, and production opportunities. Through their collaboration, they will make a new set of movies and TV shows set in Africa and the Diaspora that will appeal to people all over the world. It will show the world the many different cultures and stories on the continent.
It is more than just a collaboration; it’s a rallying call to industry leaders, governments, and multilateral agencies to help support and grow talent around the African continent.
“I have always been passionate about using my platform to make a positive impact,” said Idris Elba, whose credits include “Luther,” “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” and “The Harder They Fall.” “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 towards creating a more inclusive and diverse media landscape, one that represents the voices and experiences of Africa and its Diaspora around the world.”
Their first goal is to give African talent the best education in business through EbonyLife’s academy in Lagos, Nigeria. This academy model will be replicated all over the African continent to help program graduates and give a new generation of creative professionals more power.
Their second goal is to make new movies and TV shows based on stories from Africa or the Diaspora for a global market. This development slate will focus on making real, Afro-centered stories that will be interesting to people all over the world. These movies will be shown in theatres, on TV, and on streaming services around the world.
“We believe that Africa has the talent and the stories to captivate the world,” Mo Abudu, CEO of EbonyLife Media, said. 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.”
