Netflix’s has unveiled a slate of female-led African projects to coincide with International Women’s Month.
EbonyLife TV boss Mo Abudu will exec produce Baby Farm, a series following Adanna, a young pregnant woman, unknowingly entrusts her unborn twins to a high-profile NGO, only to discover she’s become a prisoner of a sinister baby farm.
Rita Dominic leads a cast that includes Joseph Benjamin, Onyinye Odokoro, Genoveva Umeh, Langley Kirkwood and Jenny Stead.
Hamisha Daryani Ahuja produces and helms another scripted project, Postcards, following four Nigerians in India discovering their identity through a journey of self-discovery.
Period feature House of Ga’a comes from Bolanle Austen-Peters, who directs and produces. Set in 18th century old Oyo Empire, the film biopic is based on real events and the story of Bashorun Ga’a, a feared prime minister and kingmaker.
The trio of new projects were unveiled at an International Women’s Day event in Lagos, Nigeria, dubbed ‘Her Voice, Our Story’, which brought together leading lights from the Nigerian film community.
Speakers at the event included Netflix Director of Content in Africa Dorothy Ghettuba, Bolanle Austen-Peters (Man of God), Hamisha Daryani Ahuja (Namaste Wahala), Chichi Nworah (Shanty Town) and Peace Hyde (Young Famous & African).
“At Netflix, we want our stories to reflect as many lives as we can,” said Netflix’s Ghettuba. “This is why we are not just passionate about the stories we tell, but the people who tell them and the people we tell them for. We are happy to work with the female powerhouse in the creative industry and bring to life the awesome projects that reflect their stories and promote our culture.”
The titles join the likes of returner Blood & Water on the Netflix Africa slate. Their announcement comes amid a keen battle between Netflix and local streamer Showmax, which is subject to a $1.77B takeover offer from France’s Canal+.
Africa’s streaming sector has been hit this year by Prime Video’s decision to pull out of the original content game amid a swathe of international cuts.