Global Flicks: Idris Elba To Launch A Film Studio in Zanzibar, Creating ‘Zollywood’
Idris Elba - Matt Winkelmeyer
Africa: Idris Elba recently bought land in Zanzibar to launch a film studio. The BBC reported that the actor and DJ has been approved to expand Africa’s film industry in the Tanzanian archipelago in East Africa. His new studio will mirror those in Hollywood, Nollywood, or Bollywood, hoping to become “Zollywood,” according to Zanzibar’s investment minister Shariff Ali Shariff. Elba was raised in East London yet has family roots in Sierra Leone and Ghana. He has previously expressed his desire to build a larger African film industry. The BBC quotes the Zanzibar president’s spokesperson saying, “If successful, the project will help not only Tanzania but also eastern and central Africa.” In February 2023, Elba spoke of plans to build a film studio in Ghana. It would be named West African Studios.
Connie Chiume, the South African actor known for her role as Zawavari in Black Panther and its sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, died on August 6 at the age of 72. Her family announced the death on social media. The cause of death has not been disclosed. Gabisile Connie Chiume was born on June 5, 1952, in South Africa’s Free State province of Welkom. She studied to be a nurse and then a teacher – two of the limited options open to Black South Africans under apartheid. In the late 1970s, she joined a traveling music group before being cast in the South African musical Ipi Ntombi. After the fall of apartheid, Chiume returned to South Africa and appeared in many TV series and films before her Hollywood breakthrough in Black Panther (2018). Since then, she appeared in Beyoncé’s visual album Black is King (2020). She was survived by three children and five grandchildren.
Yet another tragic death in African cinema has taken place this summer – Onyeka Onwenu passed on July 30 at the age of 72. Also known as the “Elegant Stallion,” Onwenu was known for her music, acting, and activism throughout her life in Nigeria. She collapsed at the birthday celebration of Mrs. Stella Okoli and was rushed to the Reddington Hospital in Lagos, where she was later pronounced dead, bringing an abrupt end to a career that spanned over four decades. Born in 1952 in Obosi, Anambra State, Onwenu’s career began in the 1980s with her debut album For the Love of You. She broke into Nollywood a few years later while simultaneously dedicating herself to public service. She was the Chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture and later a Director-General of the National Centre for Women Development. She used her platform to advocate for women’s empowerment and social change. In 2011, she was awarded the National Honors of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) for her impact on Nigeria’s cultural landscape.
Charles Oputa, activist-musician known as Charly Boy, said, “The Igbo nation mourns the loss of this iconic figure, whose impact transcended the entertainment industry.”
Nairobi-based sales agent Rushlake Media has acquired world sales rights to The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos, the feature debut of the Nigerian filmmaking group the Agbajowo Collective. The film will have its world premiere in the Centerpiece section of the Toronto International Film Festival. The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos is based on real-life events that took place in 2016 and 2017 during violent, forced evictions from Lagos’ Otodo Gbame fishing community. The film tells the story of Jawu, a young mother from a waterfront slum, who stumbles upon corrupt money that challenges her to overcome temptation and stay true to her morals. The film seeks to amplify the voices of the millions of citizens in Lagos who live in informal settlements and/or are in threat of losing their homes. The film’s cast includes Temi-Ami Williams and Debo Adebayo. The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos is an international co-production between Slum Swellers International, Justice & Empowerment Initiatives Nigeria, Nigerian Slum/Informal Settlement Federation, Die Gesellschaft DGS, and Raconteur Productions.
“Our film is as much about the process as the end product. What began in 2017 as an idea to create a film that would shine a light on forced evictions in Lagos, became a deeper effort to re-imagine how stories like this can be told and create systems of film production that centered around lived experience and the power of the collective,” said co-director Mathew Cerf.
Shah Rukh Khan - Alessandro Levati
Asia: Shah Rukh Khan recently received a career achievement award at the Locarno Film Festival. Khan, also known as SRK, has been an important figure in Bollywood since his breakthrough role in the 1993 thriller Baazigar. Throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s, Khan delivered a string of box office hits. Notably, his 1998 film Dil Se became the first Indian film to break into the UK box office top 10, signaling Bollywood’s growing international appeal. Khan made his return to the big screen in 2023 with three major releases: Pathan, Jawan, and Dunki. Both Pathaan and Jawan qualified as India’s all-time highest-grossing films. Beyond his on-screen work, Khan has been described as a “cultural ambassador” for Indian cinema. He is a sought-after speaker at international forums, such as TED Talks and film festivals. At these events, he discusses the power of storytelling, the evolution of Indian cinema, and the importance of representation in media. Khan is also an entrepreneur. He is the co-owner of the production company Red Chillies Entertainment, the co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders, a cricket team in the Indian Premier League, and co-owns three additional cricket teams around the world. Khan’s legacy continues as his daughter, Suhana Khan, made her acting debut in 2023 with the Netflix film The Archies, an Indian adaptation of the popular American comics. In 2018, Khan was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), becoming one of the few Indian actors to be part of the prestigious organization that votes for the Oscars. He is also included in Variety’s V500, a list of the 500 most influential business leaders shaping the global media industry.
UK broadcaster ITV is set to stream the British South Asian independent feature film Little English on its ITVX platform. The film was recently nominated for Best Feature Film at the UK’s National Film Awards. Little English follows the story of Simmy, a Punjab newlywed woman whose soon-to-be husband suddenly disappears. She joins forces with her brother-in-law Harry, which leads to a forbidden romance. Little English will be available on ITVX during South Asian Heritage Month, which takes place from July 18 to Aug. 17 every year.
Surah Ohri has signed with Sovereign Talen Group for representation. Ohri has a decade of acting experience in Indian television and film. He recently gained prominence this year for his role in Prime Video’s Hindi-language cop drama India Police Force. India Police Force is set in Bollywood’s “Cop Universe” and follows a group of police investigating a series of bomb blasts in Delhi during the Delhi Police Raising Day. Through his new deal with Sovereign, Ohri will be looking at US and international roles.
Rising Bollywood actor Sharvari is cast for her third consecutive high-profile release of 2024 with Vedaa. This will be Sharvari’s first venture into action roles. In Vedaa, directed by Nikkhil Advani, Sharvari plays the lead character who fights against a repressive system with boxing as one of her weapons. Sharvari credits her Vedaa co-star Abraham for mentoring her in action scenes. He was “committed and patient” to guide her through her first action film experience. Vedaa will be released in theaters worldwide on August 15.
“I want to be known as someone who can do action very well and hopefully become an action star in due course of time,” Sharvari told Variety. “I’m willing to put everything on the line for it to happen. Action as a genre is too entertaining and gives a huge adrenaline rush for the actors as well as the audience. Vedaa is the start of my journey in trying to be good at it.”
Latin America: The trailer has debuted for Fugue (Fuga), which is world premiering simultaneously at the Edinburgh and Lima film festivals. The feature is directed by Mary Jiménez and Bénédicte Liénard. Fugue takes place in the Peruvian Amazon, where a terrorist group’s violence and homophobia collide to “devastating effect.” Fuga is the continuation of the filmmakers’ last film, In the Name of Tania, which was also shot in the Peruvian Amazon. Fuga was made with local people who did not have to act. They experienced “living in the villages we filmed,” said the directors. Filming took five months.
“Fuga explores the stories of homosexuals persecuted by the Tupac Amaru and Shining Path terrorist groups during the ‘dirty war’ in Peru (1970-2000). This generation, which survived persecution in silence and shame, has yet to be heard and recognized. We worked with queer artist Saor Sax – sometimes male, sometimes female, he is pure insolence for an Amazon society plagued by evangelistic morality,” said Mary Jiménez and Bénédicte Liénard.
After six weeks of work in Santiago, Chile, the filming of Desconectados 2: Reconectados has come to a complete. The sequel of Desconectados, the first Amazon Original feature film from Chile, was the latest work from director Diego Rougier. The sequel focuses on an overprotective mother who resorts to “all kinds of tricks” to force her children to travel abroad with her. Several stars from the original are returning, including Javiera Contador, Jesu Hara, and Diego Rojas. The film will be released in more than 240 countries in early 2025.
