Idris Elba has been allocated a piece of land in Zanzibar to start a film studio.
Idris Elba to open film studio in Zanzibar
The BBC reports that the British actor and DJ has been given the green light to play his part in developing the growing African film industry in the Tanzanian archipelago in East Africa – with a studio that could be comparable to any studio in "Hollywood, Nollywood or Bollywood" and could become "Zollywood", according to Zanzibar's Investment Minister Shariff Ali Shariff, speaking at the Zanzibar International Film Festival this week.
Elba grew up in East London, but has family roots in Sierra Leone and Ghana, and has previously stated that he wanted to play a role in building this kind of industry in Africa.
The BBC quotes the spokesman for the president of Zanzibar as saying: "If the project is successful, it will not only help Tanzania but also East and Central Africa."
