Guguru Studios, a Nigerian film production company together with three other African production studios have been awarded an €80,000 (about ₦135 million) grant to produce a musical drama about the illegal mining situation commonly known as ‘galamsey’ in Ghana.
The four winning companies are Driving Park Limited from Ghana, AdomiBridge Studios from Ghana, Togo Films from Togo, and Guguru Studios from Nigeria. Guguru Studios has produced and collaborated in multiple films including the black and white fantasy thriller, Mami Water written and directed by C.J. “Fiery” Obasi.
The financial contribution of the European Union and the support of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP) in partnership with the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) and Creation Africa Ghana, an initiative of the French embassy in Ghana, cooperatively made the funding for this co-production possible.
The yet-to-be-produced film titled, A Dream To Die For, written by David Masterwille follows a group of young musicians ensnared in the galamsey economy. Galamsey, translated as “gather them and sell,” is a local Ghanaian jargon that means illegal small-scale gold mining in Ghana.
READ ALSO: 'Freaky Table' brings Pan-African cultural celebration to Nigeria
Speaking about the cross-cultural and industry benefits of this co-production initiative, Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante, the executive secretary of Ghana’s National Film Authority, said co-productions between African filmmakers are a vitally important element in achieving the growth of the African film industry. The executive secretary made these remarks to mark the beginning of the co-production agreement between the four film production companies.
The move further solidifies the pan-African alliance that creators on the continent have called for for years.
Nigeria's Play Network Studios and Namibia's Mondjila Studios have previously collaborated to produce the thriller, The Skeleton Coast, which is set against the backdrop of Namibia’s enigmatic Skeleton Coast.