Alex Berger of “The Bureau” producer TOP (The Oligarchs Productions), prolific Nigerian director Kunle Afolayan (“Aníkúlápó”) and Sydney Galund of Paris-based Make it Happens Studios are among the headliners at the Salon International du Contenu Audiovisuel d’ Abidjan (SICA), a three-day industry event taking place from 5 to 7 November in Ivory Coast.
Now in its second year, SICA is an initiative of the Ivorian Ministry of Communications that aims to make Abidjan – the cultural and economic capital of the West African country – a hub for the film and television industries in French-speaking Africa.
Organizers say the event also aims to open “a new era of innovative and diverse content” for local creators while establishing the host country as “a central platform for the promotion, development and distribution of African and international audiovisual content.”
This year’s edition is scheduled to be attended by more than 250 industry professionals, including producers, distributors, broadcasters and investors from 15 countries. They will participate in three days of meetings, masterclasses, panel discussions and keynote speeches designed to foster the development of an ecosystem to help finance, produce and distribute multi-platform content from the region, while strengthening relationships between African and international partners. .
The main sessions will be held at the Sofitel Ivoire Hotel in Abidjan, along with film screenings for the general public at three satellite venues in the Yopougon, Apopo and Port Poet neighbourhoods. A full day will also be dedicated to introducing industry guests to potential filming locations in and around Abidjan.
Under the theme “Innovation, Diversity and Finance in the Audiovisual Sector: Solutions for a New Era of Content in Africa,” the event is part of a broader vision to promote content making in francophone sub-Saharan Africa and foster greater dialogue. and cooperation between industry professionals from different countries.
To that end, the organizers have brought in a number of international guests including Gallund, the Paris-based producer of the Harlen Coben adaptation “No Second Chance,” who launched Make it Happens Studios in 2018 and will open the session with a keynote. On November 5th.
Another keynote will be delivered by Berger, co-founder of TOP, the company behind the global hit TV series “The Bureau,” and executive producer of the fashion house’s recent Apple TV+ drama “La Maison.”
Other speakers include Afolayan, one of the leading figures in contemporary Nigerian cinema, who was among the first African creatives to sign a multi-title deal with Netflix, and Izzat Pinto, founder and CEO of Turkish sales company Global Agency, which achieved the feat. TV series “The Magnificent Century” to the world.
With strong support from Ivorian government bodies including the Ministry of Culture and Francophonie, the Ministry of Tourism and Leisure and the Ministry of Youth Promotion, Professional Integration and the Civil Service, Sika is also looking to stimulate tourism in Côte d’Ivoire – France’s economic powerhouse. West African language – promoting the country of 32 million people as one of Africa’s most promising locations for film and television production.