CELLULOID DREAMS

Abidjan wants to become Africa's next cinema hub

- LUCIE DE PERTHUIS

In the lush forests north of Abidjan, technicians were busy filming on the set of Le Testament (The Will), a comedy co-production between Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Senegal.

Under a large tree, village elders gathered to discuss the death of a wealthy local cocoa planter. In the film, his children return to their native village and bicker over his inheritance.

Ivory Coast is hosting an increasing number of local, pan-African and international productions, and is striving to establish itself as a go-to film destination in Africa in the face of longtime dominance by Nigeria's thriving Nollywood.

According to the Ivorian culture ministry, about 30 films and television series were shot in the country last year. This year, 39 other projects have been approved.

Between takes of Le Testament, production manager Shaidate Coulibaly, 31, said there was a growing number of enthusiastic technicians and filmmakers.

"The sector's really developing locally," she said. "The new generation wants to tell stories about their daily life, stories that represent them."

"We have people who are able to oversee an entire production without needing to look elsewhere," added Adama Rouamba, the film's Burkinabe director, who has witnessed firsthand how the sector has professionalised.