The African film sector is about to receive a significant facelift in its fortunes and outlook, as the Del York International Group has signed a deal with one of the biggest movie studios in America, Story Land Studios to develop a major film city project in Lagos.
According to reports from several international news outlets including Forbes, CNN, MSNBCTV, Del York and Storyland Studios signed the deal to develop the project in a location called Epe in partnership with the Lagos State Government.
Lagos is undisputedly Africa’s business capital with an estimated 20 million people living in the city, the siting of the new film city will most likely dramatically improve the economic potential of the state if not tourism throughout the region.
The film city project is being described as a place where creatives can live, work, and learn and is proposed as an all-in-one facility that will commingle the best in leisure and theme park facilities with that of film making and industry capacity building.
The promoters have included multiple sound studios, backlot sets, water tanks, workshops, and production offices alongside a theme park setting that includes rides, tourist attractions, movie museums, and a walk of fame.
The major news outlets globally are reporting this as a real game-changer for the African continent as it means more and more international producers can domesticate their filmmaking operations and have a pool of trained professionals, they can draw on to produce quality content.
The President of Del York International Group, Mr. Linus Idahosa who is also the founder of the Del-York Creative Academy, said, “The continent’s burgeoning community of creatives have long been inspired through the magic of film and television, spiriting themselves into worlds they never thought possible but curtailed by their immediate circumstances.
With this agreement in place, we can finally realise that purpose-designed infrastructure that will match the dreams and most expansive imaginations of creatives on the African continent”.
The Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Storyland Studios Mel McGowan was quoted as saying “We’re excited to be part of the further development of Nigeria’s incredibly prolific and rapidly-growing film industry.
The Lagos film city concept is a cultural, creative ecosystem that will be a catalyst not only for the country of Nigeria but for Africa”.
Construction of the multimillion-dollar facility is scheduled to start in early 2022.
Source: vanguardngr