Tanzania gets hold of global film platforms, but sluggishly
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Loading... - Gladness Amiri
- 01 Feb 2023
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Last weekend, posters for a Netflix upcoming film ‘Married to Work’, a romantic comedy set in the picturesque tropical island of Zanzibar featuring actors and actresses from Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria surfaced the internet.
They became another notable addition to a growing number of African films that have struck a chord on streaming platforms like Netflix and Showmax. With film lovers and other stakeholders raising questions as to when the Bongo film industry will pick up the pace to grasp global platform such as Netflix.
Despite great access to global audience potential Tanzanian films are yet to come of age to grasp such a market. Still on the fringes of the great film producing and viewing areas of Netflix, showmax and other international platforms, falling short to Nigera, Kenya and South Africa’s film industry.
Some says Tanzanians are yet to develop a film-consciousness as producers or consumers.
“The truth of the matter is there are not enough Tanzanians subscribing to Netflix. If the numbers grew in that respect, Netflix would be motivated to produce more films in our beautiful country,” explains Angela Ruhinda, a co-founder with Alinda of Black Unicorn Studios and screenwriter for the ‘Married to Work’ film.
Ms Ruhinda adds that our neighbours, Kenya are the bigger market and that is why they have been getting so many opportunities with the streamer over the past couple of years.
She says, “It is not lost on me that paying for a streaming service is a luxury for a lot of Tanzanians. However, if we could push the ones who can afford the luxury to subscribe and watch local content, it would be a game changer for our film industry.” Read More…
