Idris Elba & President Suluhu Collaborate on Tanzanian Film Studio
Idris Elba, a British actor, intends to open a film studio in Tanzania.
According to the president’s team, the 50-year-old Hollywood star, whose filmography includes titles such as “The Wire” and “Luther,” has already held preliminary talks with President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Elba and his wife, Sabrina Elba, met President Suluhu earlier this month on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“The president met with Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina, and they are interested in investing in a film studio in Tanzania,” Tanzania’s director of presidential communications, Zuhura Yunus, told journalists on Monday.
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She added that if the project is approved, it will serve as a breeding ground for talent from not only Kenya’s southern neighbor but also the larger East and Central African regions.
“The talks are in their early stages, but if everything goes well, the studio will benefit not only Tanzania but also East and Central Africa,” Yunus explained.
Idris Elba & President Suluhu Collaborate on Tanzanian Film Studio. Elba’s mother and father are both from Ghana, and he is estimated to be worth around Ksh.4.9 billion ($40 million).
The Time Magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’ honoree has previously spoken about his intention to not only make more films in Africa but also to work to develop the continent’s film industry.
His 2022 film, ‘Beast,’ for example, was shot entirely in South Africa, and he has stated that he hopes to pave the way for more major films to be made on the continent.
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“I’m very interested in Africa’s development. “My parents are from Africa, and I feel like that continent deserves some real tender care, love, and thought more than anywhere else in the world,” Elba told South Africa’s SA People in August last year.
“Young Africans regard me as a leader or a lighthouse. And I believe I could contribute something. So I’m excited to bring what I’ve learned in media and expand it in Africa,” he said at the time.
