At the 2024 Africa Cinema Summit, Juliet Asante, CEO of the National Film Authority, delivered a powerful message on the importance of creating a unified cinema network across Africa. She emphasized that such a network would enable films released in Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco, or Angola to reach audiences across the continent, connecting people through shared stories and cultural expressions.
“A strong cinema network will mean that a film released in Ghana or Nigeria or Morocco or Angola can reach all of our people. Let’s not just imagine, let’s make it happen,” Asante declared passionately. She highlighted the summit’s central theme this year: the growth of quality local content and the need to reimagine cinema for Africa’s mass market.
In her address, Asante posed critical questions to the attendees: “How do we attract our people to love our content and watch them? How do we get the content to them in their communities on the big screen?” She also advocated for creating more games and animated content tailored to African children, acknowledging the potential of the younger generation as future consumers of African media.
Echoing the words of Ghana’s President, Asante stressed Africa’s growing importance on the global stage. “Both the cinema world and Africa need each other,” she said, adding that in less than a decade, Africa is projected to hold 50% of the global consumption power. The young audiences that global filmmakers will need are in Africa, and this underscores the urgency for global cinema stakeholders to invest in the continent.
“We are taking charge of our own future, with open arms to welcome the world to our continent—on our terms,” she affirmed, calling on industry leaders, partners like NOW Group and Silver Bed, and other key stakeholders to support the African film industry.
Juliet Asante spoke at the opening of the Africa Cinema Summit 2024, urging all attendees and participants to collaborate in creating a vibrant cinema culture that resonates with and reflects the lives of African people.
