DISCOP Zanzibar Details Announced

22 November, 2017 - 08:03

Hot on the heels of a hugely successful DISCOP Johannesburg, market organisers have announced the details of next year's inaugural DISCOP Zanzibar event that will take place from July 11 to 13, 2018 at the Verde Hotel just outside Stone Town, Zanzibar.

DISCOP Zanzibar will take place alongside the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) that will run from the 7 to 15 of July for its 21st edition. The partnership between ZIFF and DISCOP market organizers will see a larger focus on film within DISCOP Zanzibar, and also coincides with the announcement of two new categories of awards from ZIFF, Best TV Series and Best Web Series, reflecting the ever-increasing convergence of content across multiple platforms.

The launch of DISCOP Zanzibar is part of a regionalization process that will see the number of DISCOP markets aimed at sub-Saharan Africa's booming entertainment content marketplace rise from currently two events a year, in Abidjan and Johannesburg, to four markets with the addition of Zanzibar and then Lagos as new DISCOP destinations.

Noticeable business trends already point to how massive home-grown content consumption, intra-African trade and regional cooperation will be the dominant forces in shaping the Continent's entertainment marketplace, says Patrick ZUCHOWICKI, DISCOP founder and general manager, who adds, Holding a DISCOP market specifically targeting the East African media industry is key to the development of our brand.

Major distributors as well as independents will be welcome with equal attention and participations options priced to make them as accessible as possible. DISCOP Zanzibar will also include a market component driven by pre-arranged meetings between key players driving Eastern Africa's entertainment content development, production and distribution ecosystems.

DISCOP Zanzibar will also host the sidebar NEXT GEN program, a permanent fixture of all DISCOP markets, featuring three stand-alone knowledge-transfer and pitching tracks: DISCOPRO, centred on regional and international coproduction opportunities; DISCORE, focused on the importance of music and sync deals within the content space; and DISCOMICS targeting the animation, special effects, comic books and video gaming sectors.

Ethiopia will be honoured as DISCOP Zanzibar's inaugural edition's Guest Country. With a population of 100 million-plus and a booming economy, Ethiopia is now one of the promising newcomers in Africa's film, television and online industries.

Our film season is here. Are you ready?

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An Early Bird 50% discount applied to all market badges will be available online via discop.com until 10 May 2018.

ABOUT DISCOP

Founded in 1991, DISCOP markets facilitate the growth of entertainment content business in fast-growing marketplaces where entertainment and media business is fueled by young demographics, fast adoption of new technologies, rising disposable income and the popularity and abundance of content from different cultural backgrounds. The first DISCOP in Africa was held in 2008 with 324 delegates involved in a nascent industry generating less than $1 BIL in consumer and advertising revenues. Since 2015 two permanent markets are held each year: DISCOP Abidjan taking place in May and targeting Francophone Africa, a vast region making up 57% of African states and positioning itself as the Continent's next growth frontiers; DISCOP Johannesburg taking place in November and already billed as the world's biggest supermarket for entertainment content Made in Africa.

ABOUT ZIFF

Just the name Zanzibar conjures up positive and mythical images - long known as a hub of trade, communications and a true cultural melting pot - Zanzibar is one of Africa's top tourism destinations - and for good reason. ZIFF is one of the highlights of the island nation's cultural calendar with thousands of people attending every year. Films, filmmakers, film-lovers and tourists all flock to the 9-day event that celebrates music, the arts and the spirit of the island itself. The ZIFF Festival of the Dhow Countries is organized by ZIFF, a non-governmental, non-profit organization founded in 1998 in Zanzibar to promote and showcase the culture of the Dhow Countries.

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