You may or may not have seen a South African film recently; the country’s entertainment industry has a growing fanbase in North America– especially within American urban entertainment networks. And now it looks like the Chinese are jumping aboard as well.
Mayenzeke Baza and Pascal Shmitz, the masterminds behindAAA Entertainment— a leading entertainment provider within the African film industry, has landed their biggest sale to date with the Chinese. This signals a change in the trajectory of industry growth not just for the entertainment and distribution company, but for the South African film industry as a whole.
China’s history with South Africa dates back to the 1960s, when the East Asian powerhouse ardently supported the independence movements across Africa. In recent years, the Country seems to have a renewed interest in the continent, with over a million Chinese living on the diaspora and creating state-backed enterprises that are developing rapidly.
The upsurge of Chinese interest in the African continent has created a higher consumption and demand for South African content. The AAA is looking to test how far that interest goes as it looks forward to the MIP China, a media conference that helps international entertainment companies to establish and strengthen ties with China.
If you’re looking to broaden your own knowledge of South African cinema, check out hits such as Mr. Right Guy, Keeping Up With the Kandasamys, and Happiness is a Four-Letter Word.
