French speaking Africa rises at DISCOP Africa 04

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French speaking Africa rises at DISCOP Africa 2014 --

Tue, 04 Nov 2014 11:43

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As a truly pan-African event, DISCOP Africa 2014 taking place from 5 to 7 November at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg is focusing on the rise of French speaking Africa, as lead by this year s DISCOP official Guest Country Ivory Coast.

French speaking Africa is on course to play a key-role in the development of television content production and distribution business across Africa.

DISCOP Africa has therefore prioritized representation from the region at this year s event, as Betty Yengo, French Speaking Africa Research Manager at Basic Lead, the organisers of DISCOP Africa, explains, we undertook to travel to most West African countries in the last 12 months, and the result is an unprecedented attendance from French speaking countries. We are indeed very proud to welcome close to three hundred participants from that part of Africa, with most of the top distributors, networks and key industry stakeholders being represented.

From workshops and guest speakers, to specialized exhibitions and events, DISCOP Africa s focus on French speaking Africa provides opportunities for both French and English producers, distributors and networks.

Ivory Coast is a country set to play a key-role in the development of television content production and distribution across Africa. The country has committed to massive investment in the creative industries and will actively be seeking co-production partners from across the continent and the globe.

In order to announce many of these new investment and development projects, the Ivory Coast exhibition at DISCOP Africa has been organised in partnership with Ivory Coast s public broadcaster, RTI (Radio Television Ivoirienne), the country s leading funding institution for film and TV content, ONACI (Office National du Cinema), the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Communications and the Ivory Coast Government.

RTI s attendance at DISCOP Africa is a fundamental element in this on-going strategy, as Sandra Coulibaly, RTI Distribution Manager explains: Our aim as RTI Distribution is to be positioned as the export platform for Ivorian productions and to represent our rich and varied cultural heritage. We are determined that C te dIvoire will proudly emerge as a sub-regional hub and broadcasting benchmark for the entire continent. Our further aim is to put Ivorian culture in the spotlight, through its national television and programs.

As an indicator of the major importance that Ivory Coast places on their plans at DISCOP, Mrs Affoussiata Bamba Lamine, Ivory Coast s Minister of Communication, will be in attendance and also meeting with her local counterparts in the South African government. Ivory Coast sees South Africa as a role model for developing a robust audio-visual industry and will be looking to create partnerships and open channels of communication for future co-productions. A national pavilion will be set up to ensure maximum visibility for Ivory Coast as an attractive regional and international television content coproduction partner.

As further proof of the massive investments being made in content development and distribution across French speaking Africa, on 24 October 2014, French group Canal launched A , it s first exclusively African channel. The new 100% African channel will enrich the offering of CANALSAT Africa and is a reflection of the African continent. Put together by a pan-African team, A , will showcase the many cultures of the continent. Made by Africans, for Africans, A is committed to supporting African productions and developing the creative industries on the continent.

Francois Deplanck, SVP Content and Channels, Canal explains further: A our first channel totally dedicated to African content: live action series, movies, Nollywood, live entertainment shows and reality TV. We have acquired ready-made cult series , non-French language series from SA, Ghana, Kenya and Angola, Senegal for which we handle dubbing in French language. Also we are investing in the development of new series , sometimes from the very beginning, through a development phase . We have met with a lot of talented African producers, directors and authors who need support, not only financial support, and are eager to work with us. Hopefully over the next years we ll coproduce and commission content that will travel well in Africa then Europe and North America.

Free, original and rich in the diversity of the continent, A is meant to mirror today s multicultural Africa, dynamic, positive and aspirational. The channel will also include English content from Nollywood to series and format shows from across the continent. Canal was the first pay satellite TV network in Francophone Africa and has been operating for over 20 years with over 1.1 million subscribers in 30 countries. The Canal and A teams will be exhibiting at DISCOP Africa.

In another exciting development for French language content on the continent, C te Ouest, Africa s leader in distribution of content, has partnered with L Organisation de la Francophonie (OIF) in a major project aimed at resuscitating over 3 000 African documentaries, films, series and short films. The digitization of this content will see classic productions such as Lat Dior from Alioune Badara Beye (1990), A nous la vie, from Dani Kouyat (1998), and many more.

This audio-visual content is a significant part of Africa s cultural heritage and the project aims to select the finest gems from the content, identify the rights holders and to finally legally distribute and promote these titles. The project will cover over 20 African countries over 3 years starting 2014.

This digitization programme is only a part of C te Ouest s broader strategy in regards to the new digital TV landscape.

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