Elba’s Green Door Pictures, Abudu’s EbonyLife Media to copro African dramas

Idris Elba’s Green Door Pictures and Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife Media have partnered to develop a slate of television and film projects together to “empower and uplift” talent from Africa and its diaspora.

Idris Elba (photo: Alex Piper)

The two prodcos said in a joint statement that the partnership aims to build capacity and foster “authentic representation in global film and TV projects set for production.”

They have committed to launching as-yet-undisclosed education and mentoring initiatives through the partnership to help foster what they call “the lost generation” and a new generation of creative professionals, showcasing their skills and telling their stories to the world.

Elba and Abudu said they aim 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 other cultures and communities.

The two have called on industry leaders globally, the wider public sector, governments and multilateral agencies to help them grow talent globally and build capacity around the continent of Africa.

Mo Abudu (photo: Kelechi Amadi-Obi)

EbonyLife will use its creative academy in Lagos, Nigeria, to empower African talent and the partnership will support graduates from the programme.

The two companies are working on a joint development slate of stories originating out of Africa or set in the diaspora as feature films and TV series for the global market.

Since 2018, EbonyLife Media has secured several coproduction deals with international studios, including Sony Pictures Television, Netflix, Will and Jada Smith’s Westbrook Studios, BBC Studios, Starz and Lionsgate.

Green Door Pictures’ credits include Hijack for Apple TV+, Sky One comedy In the Long Run, Netflix comedy series Turn Up Charlie and Idris Elba’s Fight School, a four-part documentary series for the BBC.

Actor, producer, director and musician Elba said: “I have always been passionate about using my platform to make a positive impact. 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.”

EbonyLife Media founder Abudu said: “We believe that Africa has the talent and the stories to captivate the world. It’s our mission to offer the best in industry education, mentorship and production opportunities, so that our graduates can become valuable contributors to the global media landscape. We plan to hit the ground running and explore the very best that African and black stories have to offer global audiences.”