Netflix partners with Nigerian film producer, Mo Abudu in a new major deal
Netflix signs partners with Nigerian film producer, Mo Abudu in a new major deal
Veteran Nigerian TV and film producer, Mo Abudu has partnered with Netflix to create features from western Africa as part of its continued expansion into Africa.
The American media streaming service and producer, Netflix, partnered with Mo Abudu to create new content from the west African nation to create two original series as well as multiple Netflix-branded films.
In a statement released Friday, Dorothy Ghettuba, Netflix’s lead for original series in Africa, said the streaming giant is working with Abudu because of her “passion for creating high-quality, riveting multi-genre films.”
Mo Abudu through EbonyLife which she owns has produced over 5,000 hours of original television shows and top Nollywood films such as “Fifty” and “The Wedding Party,” which grossed 3.5 billion naira (about $11.5 million) in its 2016 release.
According to CNN, the partnership with Netflix will see on-screen adaptations of literary works by two award-winning Nigerian authors, Lola Shoneyin and Wole Soyinka.
Shoneyin’s debut novel, “The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives,” will be developed into a series, and Soyinka’s play, “Death and the King’s Horseman,” will be adapted into a film.
“We’re thrilled about this first-of-its-kind partnership in Africa that will bring some of Nigeria — and Africa’s — most iconic storytelling to screen. We look forward to supporting Mo as she brings all these diverse Nigerian stories to the world,” Ghettuba said in a statement.
Abudu said the partnership is a testament to Netflix’s investment in African storytelling.
Soyinka, whose play is being adapted into a film, said in a statement that it is a “delight” to see Abudu’s production company, EbonyLife, thrive in the male-dominated filmmaking scene.
“In a creative industry which, even in pioneering countries, is so male-dominated, it is always a delight to see robust challenges offered by the female gender, and of attestable quality. Mo Abudu’s incursion into this arena as film and television producer has been especially stimulating,” he said.
Similarly, Shoneyin, whose novel is being adapted into a series, said she is “thrilled” that her work is going to be depicted through a partnership with Abudu and Netflix.
