US-based Africa Informer organisation will hold the inaugural edition of the US Africa International Film Conference in Los Angeles and Las Vegas in September.

According to the President, Peter Roc Ike Onwuka-Smarty, his organisation is poised to have a forum for the integration of the African film business and Hollywood, through interactive collaborations and exchange of technical, creative and profitable capabilities.

“Our main objectives as an organisation has been the socioeconomic integration of Africa and USA through networking events and our publication, Africa Informer magazine – www.africainformer.com,” Peter Roc told Maggie’s Blog on Thursday in a telephone conversation.

Continuing, he said: “Over the past two years we have organized some fruitful networking events that have seen CEOs of banks from Ghana like, Akosua Oppong – Taiwah (Capital & More Micro Finance bank), Dr. Alex Asamah (Amenfiman Rural Bank), Fidelis Sakyi-Hyde (Unicredit) and Abibata Zakariah (MASLOC, the Presidency Ghana), visit some of our events to interact with people in business and politics here in Las Vegas.

“We have also had the likes of Chief Mrs. Titi Atiku-Abubakar (Wife of Nigeria’s presidential candidate), Mrs. Zainab Bello (Wife of Kogi State Governor), Annette Watkins (VP US Trust bank Dallas), Dr. Godwin Maduka (Founder Las Vegas Pain Institute & Medical Centers, the largest private practice in Nevada), Larry & Reginalea Kemp of Kemp & Sons, Forth Worth, Texas; Herb Austin, Director of SBA Texas and a host of others at our platforms like the US-AFRICA International Women’s Day Conference and the Pan Africa Business Leadership Forum.”

The US based non-profit organisation, according to Peter Roc, sees the importance of the Africa film industry as a vehicle for globalising the African culture as well as one of the most powerful economic tools for the growth of the African continent.

“With the upsurge in the global acceptance of African films, as exemplified by Netflix’s creation of a dedicated African films streaming platform and purchase of Genevieve Nnaji’s ‘Lion Heart’, this trend is basically a fall out of the global success of ‘Black Panther’, so it has become imperative to foster a tighter relationship between Africa and Hollywood,” said Peter Roc.

The theme of the five-day conference is “Furthering the Globalization of African Culture Through Film Making”.

It will also feature seminars on the various aspects of film business and a visit by participants to Universal Studios Hollywood, to experience first-hand production activities followed by Awards dinner in Las Vegas when some selected Nigerian movies will be awarded.

According to Peter Roc, the focus for this edition is the Nigerian film industry (English, Yoruba, Hausa), as well as Ghana and Kenya.

“For us, film making is a big global business, so African film makers must look at the abundant possibilities that are there globally for maximising profits,” Peter Roc opined.

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