The National Film Authority has announced a strategic partnership with the FilmOne Group (Nigeria) and Silverbird Cinema (Ghana), to host the inaugural Africa Cinema Summit (ACS) scheduled to take place on  November 14th–16th at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel and Silverbird Cinema in Accra, Ghana.

The Summit marks a pivotal moment in the history of the African film industry. With the collective aim of fostering growth, innovation, and collaboration, the summit seeks to unite cinema stakeholders from around the globe, offering a platform for insightful industry business dialogues, opportunity exchanges, and strategic partnerships. This initiative represents the first gathering on the African continent, aimed at propelling the African cinema ecosystem to greater heights.

With a total of 1,653 screens across the continent serving 1.3 billion people, Africa is by far the most underserved continent with regard to cinema distribution, according to UNESCO.

By delving into the multifaceted dimensions of the African cinema landscape, attendees will witness in-depth panel discussions, keynote speeches, and presentations by experts and major decision makers in the industry. A major focus will be given to the current trends, unique challenges, and exceptional opportunities inherent in African cinema and other distribution networks.

The summit will offer the opportunity for knowledge exchange, networking, and forging strategic alliances with influential stakeholders, including African film authorities and commissions, cinema developers, suppliers, distributors, real estate professionals, seasoned producers, cutting-edge technology providers, and many more across the globe. This will create an unparalleled platform for fostering valuable connections and mutual growth.

Key Event Highlights:

The partnership highlights a vibrant showcase of African films alongside celebrating the richness and diversity of the continent's cinematic artistry; forms an exhibition area featuring state-of-the-art technologies, equipment, and services that are shaping the future of the cinema industry; tailors business matchmaking sessions, fostering targeted connections and collaborations; and is a fulcrum around which panel discussions and keynote speeches by leaders would be given, focusing on the dynamic landscape of African cinema.

It will also have dedicated networking sessions, enabling participants to establish meaningful relationships and partnerships, and feature exclusive presentations encompassing various facets of the cinema industry, ranging from production and distribution to marketing and emerging technologies.

CEO of the National Film Authority of Ghana, Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante, stated, “Africa is cinema’s greatest opportunity in the 21st century, and the Africa Cinema Summit (ACS) serves as a call and pathway to realizing the potential of cinema for both the people of Africa and the cinema world globally. Cinema energizes communities socially, culturally, and economically, and at a time when over 40% of the global youth population is projected to be in Africa in just a few years, the Africa Cinema Summit is extremely timely. This will be the first ever cinema summit in Africa, and Ghana is excited to lead the agenda, host discussions on the continent's cinema ecosystem, and highlight its huge growth opportunity to a global audience”.

Co-Founder and Group Deputy Managing Director of the FilmOne Group, Moses Babatope, added, "We are thrilled to be a part of NFA’s Africa Cinema Summit, bringing together industry leaders and visionaries to shape the future of cinema business in Africa. The collective vision is to foster a dynamic platform for industry players to converge, interact, and forge robust partnerships that will galvanize the cinema ecosystem in Africa”.

Country Manager of Silverbird Cinemas, Ghana, Funmi Onuma, emphasized, "Silverbird Cinemas, Ghana, has supported the development of the Ghanaian film industry for the past 15 years and has demonstrated this dedication by proactively collaborating with producers to bring their works to the local market. We see this relationship with the NFA for the ACS as a positive step since it will set the platform for meaningful industry discussions and help forge a more exciting future for the film industry”.

The National Film Authority of Ghana is a government body mandated to enforce the legal framework for the production, regulation, nurturing, and development of the Ghanaian film industry, as well as for the distribution, exhibition and marketing of films and related matters. It was set up by the Government of Ghana under the Development and Classification of Film Act 935 to regulate and streamline the ecosystem of film in Ghana.

FilmOne Group is a leading independent entertainment company focused on and renowned for its distribution and production of Filmed Content, from Nigeria, West Africa, to the World. With a portfolio spanning various genres and languages, FilmOne distributes and produces a wide range of mainstream and commercial pictures, including international and indigenous films, and maintains strategic alliances and relationships with international studios and distributors.

The Silverbird Galleria in Victoria Island, Lagos, and Silverbird Cinemas were founded in 2004. With its quick rise to de facto leadership in the leisure and entertainment sector, Silverbird Cinemas have paved the way for others. With the opening of the Dream Magic Studios in Los Angeles, which provides Hollywood and the rest of the world with high-quality production services, Silverbird Cinemas has had an impact on marketplaces in Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, and all over the world with distribution and exhibition services. In Africa's box office rankings over the past 15 years, Silverbird Cinemas, Ghana, a subsidiary of the Silverbird company, has established itself as the top movie theatre chain, providing Ghanaians with high-quality entertainment in a state-of-the-art theatre setting.