British-Sierra Leonean actor, Idris Elba, has called on African filmmakers to focus on creating high-quality local films.

During an interview with a Channel One TV reporter at the Africa Cinema Summit (ACS) in Accra, which commenced on October 7, 2024, Elba highlighted the significance of producing films that reflect Africa's vibrant culture.

He noted that such films have the potential to connect with audiences around the world.

“We have to think about appeasing our local market, local, I don’t just mean Ghana, but I mean Nigeria, West Africa, South Africa because people love movies all over Africa.

"So, in as much as we want to appease the international market, we have to do it at home first. When you get an American movie hit, usually it’s a domesticated hit before it is a hit outside. Is it really important that we don’t focus on International but we focus on home,” he said

The actor also highlighted the need for filmmakers to invest in quality production equipment.

"We have to focus on quality, We can’t make films that do not keep to the standard of the rest of the world, there is no excuse for that .. democratization of equipment means we can all shoot on a nice camera, we can all shoot with good mics,… So we have to pay attention to quality,” he added

Africa Cinema Summit (ACS) is currently taking place from October 7 to October 10.

On the opening day of the event, Idris Elba was in attendance, alongside Ghana's Minister of Tourism, Creative Arts, and Culture, Andrew Egypa Mercer, his Deputy Mark Okraku-Mantey, and various other prominent personalities.