FilmOne announces one million dollar Chinese-Nigeria Film Fund with Huahua Media

Weeks after signing a production deal with Huahua Media for Ay’s 30 Days in China, FilmOne has launched a million-dollar film fund to produce a slate of Nollywood films with the Chinese media giants and South African Empire Entertainment.

According to Filmone’s Managing director, Moses Babatope, the fund is the first-ever between China and Africa for film production.

“The participation of international partners with reputable standing is a win not just for us but for the Nigerian film industry,” Babatope said. “We are grateful to the Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Chu Maoming, and the National Film and Video Censors Board led by Alhaji Adedayo Thomas who have helped make this a reality.”

On the productions that will first benefit from the fund, he says, “we have identified a slate of films that we believe will truly represent the best of Nigerian [cinema] and very shortly will unveil them.”

Earlier this year, the film distribution and exhibition company announced they are working on their first sole, original production, Greenland, marking a full transition into film production.

It remains uncertain if Greenland, a coming-of-age story that follows a young boy’s journey away from poverty, will benefit from the fund. But what is certain is a new era of internationally backed big-budget films in Nollywood.