Africa at the Cannes Film Festival: How Nollywood & Ghollywood Are Missing Out on the Gold Mining!

The Cannes Film Festival is the biggest film festival and film market in the world, with over 4,500 representatives of the national and international press attending the festival. The annual festival has its glamorous side, serving as the perfect ground for the various highly rated celebrities to make appearances and grab the needed attention.

However, beyond the glamour embedded in the various red carpet, beach and club appearances of celebrities, lies a world full of opportunities for actors, actresses, film-makers and countries interested in pulling film investments.

Serving as a point of convergence for producers, production houses, directors, marketers and investors, countries all over the world with a keen interest in pitching their film industries and films to the bigger world have secured corners or pavilions—in order to bring to the world what they have to offer when it comes to film-making.

Yesterday, I took time out to check the various corners/pavilions at the 67^th Cannes Film Festival and I was excited to see how well certain African countries like Tunisia, Egypt, Cameroon (Collywood), Kenya and South Africa have managed to position themselves among the various top countries known for their vibrant film production industries.

Surprisingly, Nigeria (which has the 2nd biggest film production industry in the world) and Ghana were missing. With countless film related investment opportunities at the Cannes Film Festival, I still cannot understand why the above two countries are failing be part of this gold mining enterprise.

In order for you to understand some of the real benefits the Ghanaian movie industry or the Nigerian movie industry can obtain from making grand representations at the annual Cannes Film Festival, I spoke to Alex Mulwa (Director & Marketing-Kenya Film Commission) inside the Kenya Pavilion about the reason why Kenya’s film industry has decided to be part of the festival.

According to Mulwa, with the help of the Kenya’s government they have secured a Pavilion to showcase to the world the fast developing Kenya film industry. In fact, he mentioned among other things that, he came to the festival with several of their top film-makers who have been able to secure remarkable deals at the festival.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIFFuhkwmhM

Importantly, through the Kenyan Pavilion, they have signed 4 profitable deals with some of the big production houses in the world who will be shooting their movies in Kenya and he has several pending meetings—with more promising deals, he added.

From the various African Pavilions I visited, it was clear from the leaflets, magazines and brochures that these countries are not only out here in Cannes to exhibit their movies—but also to tell the big production houses, that they have great and affordable locations for film-making.

Even if Ghana and Nigeria do not have great movies which can be brought to the biggest film market in the world, what about making efforts to pitch our beautiful film locations, mountains, vast forest and water bodies to the big production houses, which are ready to pay for these beautiful sceneries? I am told Nigeria has been out here before but did not continue with their appearance this year.

On a smaller scale, there are countless short film-makers, upcoming film-makers, film students with great ideas all out here from UK, USA, India, Germany, Italy, Australia and other countries, pitching their films and ideas at the Short Films Corner. Just this morning, I met two Norwegian young film-makers at my hotel who have put together a short film and are excited about the fact that, their film is being screened at the Short Films Corner. And they hope to pitch their film to an investor or anyone who can bring in the needed help.

The Short Films Corner is a perfect market for various upcoming and established film-makers and yet our Ghanaian film students and film-makers are missing out on an opportunity to meet worthy investors, producers and network with those who have the industry at their fingertips.

In the Cameroon Pavilion, I met a Cameroonian actress and another from Mauritius—who are out here at the Cannes Film Festival to meet other film-makers for potential career advancing roles—and also help in promoting their various film industries to the world.

Check below for the efforts the various African countries are making to uplift their film industry….

Countries with Pavilions

Kenyan Actress

Actress from Mauritius