Idris Elba

Source: Getty Images for SXSW London

Idris Elba

UK actor and filmmaker Idris Elba has outlined his ambitions for building a bolstered film infrastructure in Africa, telling an audience at SXSW London on June 4, “I want to build the African Odeon”.

Elba noted the low number of cinemas across the continent, during a discussion on creativity as capital for change. “I would love to be able to tackle some of that, because I believe the cinema experience that we have all gone through should be experienced by a new generation, I don’t think it should all be on a phone.

“How do I do that? Building a model of data that shows that actually people do want to watch films, that they will enjoy the experience of theatre. I’m not going to try and boil the ocean, but it’s going to happen one bit at a time. The data is one thing, building the strength of the economy around the creators is one thing, and the distribution of it. Yeah man, I want to build the African Odeon.”

London-born Elba is of Ghanian and Sierra Leonean heritage. His acting credits span The Wire, Luther and the Sonic film franchise. He made his directorial debut, Yardie, in 2018, and co-directed survival thriller Above The Below with Martin Owen, which finished shooting in early 2024.

Elba is also co-founder of the Akuna Group, a company with a focus on driving innovation and production in Africa. Among the group’s efforts has been the creation of the Akuna Wallet, currently only available in Ghana, as a means of helping Ghanian creators to get paid from anywhere in the world, in the absence of western banking structures.

“Any film or piece of music that was made in the 80s was made on equipment less superior than your phone is now. These kids know that,” said Elba. “They are making films, they are making songs on these devices. Ultimately, there is a wall when it comes to getting it out there and monetising it, [but] I think the confidence that Afrobeats, Nollywood, has given African creators, young creators is huge.”

Elba also spoke about the importance of African creatives harnessing AI in the right way. “I’ve been saying for two years that artificial intelligence will leapfrog the creative sector in Africa.”

He said he is committed to “figuring out a ramp towards full production. How can I get young people to make a film, tell a story, whether it’s a short or a feature, using their phones, utilising AI, utilising a hybrid of all of it? Finding ways to finance their films and distribute their films. That’s the sort of mindset I’m thinking about.”

Elba also gave a sneak peak of app Talking Scripts, a platform he has developed with UK-Canadian director Stefan Schwartz, who has directed episodes of The Boys, Walking Dead and Luther. The app transforms scripts into audio form, to help people in the industry who may experience difficulties with reading.

“I find reading scripts very difficult, absorbing words,” revealed Elba, who has dyslexia. “It grew over time and became a bit of a hindrance for me. You’re reading a lot of different scripts all the time, especially on a series… Stefan and I bonded over this idea that he had, what if we could do it in a different way, an inclusive way, for people with dyslexia to absorb scripts.”

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