Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State said on Thursday that the groundbreaking of the proposed 100 million-dollar African Film City project in Epe would be done before the end of October.
Sanwo-Olu disclosed this during a news conference on the forthcoming 12th African International Film Festival (AFRIFF) at the Government House, Marina, Lagos.
According to the governor, the project is intended to enhance originality in content creation in Nollywood, Nigeria’s film industry.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state government announced in October 2022 that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Del-York Group for the construction of the project.
Sanwo-Olu disclosed that the state government would be doubling the capacity-building support for talented young industry players to enhance their skills in modern filmmaking.
He also disclosed that grants for filmmakers would be increased henceforth to enable them operate seamlessly.
“We have great plans underway. First, we will be doing the groundbreaking for the African Film City before the end of this month.
“The film city would be on 100 hectares of land in Epe and it is massive. We just want to take the lead in Lagos State.
“We are hoping that the first set of studios will be ready from 24 to 30 months right after the groundbreaking.
“I have been to a few studios in the United States of America, like Prime Studio, Sugarland and more; they are excited and promised to come down here.
“Secondly, we are also going to be doubling our monetary support and training for upcoming players in the industry as well as increasing grants for film producers; we will be doubling whatever it is we have done in the past,” he said.
The governor urged the practitioners to use their ingenuity to create ‘Africanised’ content that would change the continent’s socio-cultural narrative, adding that through this, the world would know Nigeria is ready.
“I am excited that the 12th AFRIFF is around the corner to further showcase the original local content to the world.
“The festival has offered a platform for young talents to flourish. I believe this year’s event will be the biggest.
“We are excited as a government to be part of it. We believe this is the right thing to do. It is only when we can hold ourselves together and tell our stories that the world will understand our history.”