In a brief visit to the Presidency at Jubilee House, English actor Idris Elba revealed that he and his partners have begun preliminary work to facilitate the establishment of a film studio in Ghana and across West Africa.
Idrissa Akuna Elba OBE, born 6 September 1972, is known for roles including Stringer Bell in the HBO series The Wire (2002–2004), DCI John Luther in the BBC One series Luther (2010–2019), Beast of No Nation (2015) and Nelson Mandela in the biographical film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013).
Aside from acting, Elba performs as a DJ under the moniker DJ Big Driis or Idris and as an R&B singer. In 2016, he was named in the Time 100 list of the Most Influential People in the World. As of May 2019, his films have grossed over $9.8 billion at the global box office, including over $3.6 billion in North America, where he is one of the top 20 highest-grossing actors.
Elba, who is also an award-winning actor, filmmaker, and musician, has previously made concerted efforts to be involved in and contribute to the African entertainment industry. He has previously appeared on songs by D’banj, Drizilik, and Phyno, VVIP”s Selfie among others. Despite his celebrity in Hollywood, Idris Elba has always maintained ties to his roots in Sierra Leone and Ghana.
Idris and his team paid the president a courtesy call at the Golden Jubilee House on Friday, February 3, 2023, as part of “our programme to build film studios across Africa,” even though “currently, we call it West African Studios, but that’s because it’s a working title.”
He declared his intention to use his film as a pilot to establish a case for the bigger project of introducing cutting-edge studios to Africa in order to attract international movers and grinders in the film industry, and wished for “a fair wind” and common understanding on what “we could do in terms of policy.”
Idris Elba concluded by emphasizing his and his team’s belief in the president’s willingness to collaborate with them in the aforementioned pursuit, adding that “it’s just a question of whether we can push through with the relevant parties to make it happen.”
