Idris Elba says he plans to move to Africa “to bolster the film industry.”
The British actor, who’s starred in shows like Luther and The Wire, has parents from Sierra Leone and Ghana. He previously spoke about building a film studio in Tanzania, perhaps cultivating a “Zollywood” in Zanzibar—similar to Hollywood, Nollywood, Bollywood, etc.
In order to really do that, he says, he’ll need to relocate.
“I would certainly consider settling down here; not even consider, it’s going to happen,” he said in an interview. “I think [I’ll move] in the next five, 10 years, God willing.”
“I won’t be able to [bolster the film industry] from overseas. I need to be in-country, on the continent,” he continued. “I’m going to live in Accra, I’m going to live in Freetown [Sierra Leone’s capital], I’m going to live in Zanzibar.”
Elba’s priority would be to give Africans a platform and a voice to share their experiences.
“I’m going to try and go where they’re telling stories—that’s really important,” he explained.
Elba also hopes to familiarize the public with more of the African continent—just as so many people across the world know all about cities like New York and Los Angeles without ever having visited them.
“This sector is a soft power, not just across Ghana but across Africa,” he said. “If you watch any film or anything that has got to do with Africa, all you’re going to see is trauma, how we were slaves, how we were colonized, how it’s just war, and when you come to Africa, you will realize that it’s not true.”
The Nigerian film industry is already world-famous: it produces hundreds of films per year, with total revenue estimates in the billions of dollars annually. And Nollywood has seen increasing international distribution through streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other services.
Years ago, VICE traveled to Nigeria for a closer look at the third-largest film industry in the world—just after Hollywood and Bollywood.
But there’s no Idris Elba in that documentary, though. If anything, it feels like the start of what could be a bigger wave of crossover between Africa’s film industry and Hollywood.
“It’s really important that we own those stories of our tradition, of our culture, of our languages, of the differences between one language and another,” Elba said. “The world doesn’t know that.”
The post Idris Elba Plans to Move to Africa to ‘Bolster’ Its Film Industry appeared first on VICE.
The post Idris Elba Plans to Move to Africa to ‘Bolster’ Its Film Industry appeared first on VICE.
