Idris Elba, Mo Abudu partner to empower, uplift African storytelling

Idris Elba, the English actor, has partnered with Mo Abudu, the Nigerian filmmaker, to empower and uplift African stories.

Through their respective production companies, the film executives announced on Thursday that the partnership also looks to build capacity and foster an authentic representation of African works in global film and TV projects.

They said the partnership will create a platform to train talents and put them on large-scale global productions.

Education and mentoring initiatives, they said, will launch in the partnership to showcase new African stories.

Elba and Abudu added that the idea is to nurture a more inclusive and diverse media landscape where stories from Africa and its diaspora are given the same level of attention and respect as those of other cultures and communities.

It is understood that the partnership will be spinning out a new development slate for stories originating out of Africa or set in the diaspora as feature films and TV series targeted at the global market.

These co-productions between Idris Elba’s Green Door Pictures and Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife Media will provide a range of content for broadcasters and streamers as well as theatrical distribution globally.

Speaking on the project, Elba said: “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.”

On her part, Mo Abudu said: “We believe that Africa has the talent and the stories to captivate the world. We plan to hit the ground running and explore the very best that African and Black stories have to offer global audiences.”