TV5MONDE shines across all its channels, throughout the year, thanks to African productions. Looking back on 2021, how would you sum up the past year in terms of African audiovisual production?
It should be noted that the health crisis has had a significant impact on the audiovisual sector in Africa, as it has everywhere else in the world (production interrupted or postponed, audiovisual events postponed or canceled, work processes constantly adapting, etc.). Despite everything, the teams at TV5MONDE and its production and broadcasting partners in the field have been able to redouble their efforts and stay the course by combining their goodwill. We have therefore continued to program attractive African cultural content in Africa, but also around the world. 2021 has been an intense year, but
one that has been
particularly rich in projects and successes.
What were the main new developments in 2021 in terms of series?
In terms of production, TV5MONDE's editorial ambition remained high throughout 2021.
With regard to African series, this was reflected in the continuation of our policy of acquisition (purchase and pre-purchase) and co-production with our African partners. To set ourselves apart from the competition, the series were launched as exclusive first broadcasts with promising topics, formats, and genres. We focused on successes that strengthen our brand, supporting a number of series such as season 2 of the satirical legal series "Allo Tribunal"
(Icône Media), the humorous adventure series "Voyage de Rêve"
(Sky Prod, Go Productions, TV5MONDE) and the musical "Mélody la Victoire en Chansons"
(Akwaba Films, Sol-Prodd, TV5MONDE), which showcases culture and features international guest stars. We also wanted to highlight the perspectives of strong writers by offering season 2 of Jean-Pierre Bekolo's historical series "Our Wishes"
(Zili) on the birth of Cameroon. In a different genre, the series "Le Prix du Péché"
(Original Movies Productions) allowed us to put into perspective a taboo social issue, the question of rape within the family and sexual harassment in the workplace.
In terms of cinema, we also enjoyed some great successes, notably with the Haitian film "Freda"
by Gessica Généus, a highly successful co-production between Benin (Merveilles Productions), France (SaNoSi), and Haiti (Ayizan Production), which continues to enjoy a brilliant international career, as well as "Lingui, les liens sacrés"
by Mahamat Saleh Haroun (Pili Films Goï Goï productions), released in theaters on December 8 in France, and "Les trois lascars
" by Boubacar Diallo (Les Films du Dromadaire / Les Films d'Avalon / Alma Productions), which has been a remarkable popular success. Feature-length documentaries are not to be outdone, with "Garderie nocturne"
by Sanou Moumouni and "Traverser"
by Joël Akafou (Vrai Vrai Films, Les films du Djabadjah) selected for the Berlin Film Festival and now successfully touring the world. We have not left any genre behind, and all of them are finding their audience and gaining international recognition. This is our ambition, and we are proving that our commitment is bearing fruit.
TV5MONDE has also launched a new music magazine with Claire Diboa (2c-Production) and François Clarou (Artibella): PLATINE AFRICA
. This new program, consisting of four special episodes presented by Sandra Nkaké, took viewers on a journey to discover artists from the African and French-speaking scene, both new and established. The territory of the selected artists extends beyond Africa to include the diaspora, the Caribbean basin, and South America, via all communities that claim African heritage. In addition to these moments of discovery, there were two new features: one devoted to musical treasures that are little known or forgotten by the public, presented by journalist Marc Maret and DJ Freddy Jay, and the other revealing video clips of artists from the African continent.
Another new feature is the co-production of DJ BATTLE
Season 2 with ALMA PRODUCTION and AFRICA DJ, based on an original idea by Jean-Claude Tapey in Ivory Coast, a major pan-African DJ competition that will be broadcast in March 2022. The eight best candidates selected by a jury of professionals will compete in mixing challenges. While season 1 focused on West Africa, season 2 is dedicated to talent from Central Africa. This season has been very successful and dynamic, and we are very proud of it.
We have also significantly increased the channel's presence in the production of African programs for young people, particularly high-quality educational entertainment programs, both by renewing successful program seasons, such as Nubu et Yara and Gabaô
, and through new projects currently in production, which we will launch in 2022.
Finally, and this is a major event, in 2021, at the initiative of the Government of Canada, TV5MONDE and the OIF created a new fund to support the production of works from French-speaking Africa for the TV5MONDEplus platform: the Francophonie-TV5MONDEplus Fund
.
Its objective is twofold: to support and facilitate the production of quality programs in French-speaking Africa and to ensure and increase their discoverability worldwide through their exposure on TV5MONDEplus. Today, the governments of France and Switzerland have joined the fund and are offering additional funding, which we welcome for the production of French-speaking Africa and its international influence.
This fund, which can be combined with other funds, represents an additional opportunity to finance projects from the South.
TV5MONDE, which finances the acquisition of each project selected by the selection committee through pre-purchase or co-production, invests heavily in these projects. The total contribution for the producer is therefore very attractive.
The first committee provided strong support for 18 projects in production and post-production, including feature films, short films, documentaries, and series from 13 French-speaking African countries.
For this first year only, part of the budget was allocated to the acquisition of programs. The commission collectively selected benchmark programs from African production that you will be able to discover wherever you are in the world in March 2022 during Francophonie and French Language Week on TV5MONDEplus. This is a wonderful opportunity to discover or rediscover iconic films from the African continent and around the world.
As I mentioned, 2021 was a very intense and eventful year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the producers, our true partners, as well as the production teams and our institutional partners for their involvement and determination to see all the projects through to completion, despite the additional difficulties caused by the health situation that has affected us all.
How were these new releases received by African audiences? Which productions were the most successful?
Movies and series, as on all platforms, are popular products in terms of audience and consumption.
The series are all unifying and among the most watched on the TV5MONDEplus platform in Africa, but not only there.
Series co-produced by TV5MONDE have been particularly successful, with episodes being consumed "in bursts" and shown exclusively for the first time.
"Melody la Victoire en Chansons"
has brought the musical comedy genre back into fashion. This 12-episode, 52-minute format was launched as a world premiere on the TV5MONDEplus platform, where it enjoyed tremendous ratings. It was then broadcast internationally on all TV5MONDE channels. It was particularly well received in Africa.
In terms of production, it was a real challenge that took three years of work. After the series Wara,
a socio-political thriller, this is the second major international production that we have supported in the field. The third is Voyage de Rêve,
a tourist trip that turns into a burlesque road movie. This is a co-production between Côte d'Ivoire and France-Guadeloupe, on which four directors collaborated, including two women. It is the first series shot entirely on location, touring Côte d'Ivoire, and its production is a technical feat! Another challenge met!
Cinema is also very promising. The special programs we have put together, particularly for FESPACO and the Ecran Noirs festival, of which we are long-standing partners, have been a resounding success. Cinema is also a very unifying genre. For example, we can note the great success of Narcisse Wandji's "Benskins" and Moumouni Sanou's "Garderie Noctune," which we screened worldwide at FESPACO.
African-produced children's programs, especially animated series, are also very popular. Children love to watch their favorite programs and characters over and over again: Les contes de Raya, Nubu et Yara, Le petit Geek, Boyou… there is something for all ages. The results are also evident on the airwaves and on TV5MONDEplus. The youth channel Tivi5 is a huge success in Africa.
One year after the launch of TV5MONDEplus, what is the outcome?
The outcome is definitely positive, with all of TV5MONDE's objectives exceeded. The channel now offers more than 6,000 hours of programming, and consumption is growing in line with our expectations. We had very good results, and the introduction of downloads has boosted them even further, particularly in Africa. In terms of African productions, the series programmed as exclusive premieres have achieved excellent ratings, both in Africa and on other continents. Wara, Melody la victoire en chansons, Voyage de rêve, and Coloré are among the most popular programs, along with programs from Quebec, Canada, France, Switzerland, and Belgium, which we are very pleased about.
Films, whether recent fiction such as Benskins or older ones such as Sia le Rêve du Python by Dany Kouyaté, whether dramas such as Enterrés by Françoise Ellong or comedies such as Sankara et moi by Laurent Deboise, or even documentaries such as Carton Rouge by Mohamed Said Ouma, Valdiodo N'Diaye: un procès pour l'histoire by Amina N'Diaye Leclerc, are highly acclaimed. These are works of great quality, and viewers are never mistaken; they always choose quality. This can be seen in Africa and the rest of the world on TV5MONDEplus as well.
Music is not to be outdone. The collection of documentaries and concerts we have offered on Congolese rumba to celebrate its inclusion in the intangible cultural heritage of humanity is enjoyed on every continent.
Will TV5Monde be very active in the field of African production in 2022? What projects are in the pipeline in terms of series?
Africa is at the heart of TV5MONDE's strategic plan. The channel will further intensify its activity in African production, both in terms of streaming and works.
As for African series, our viewers will discover the new seasons 7 and 8 of the African version of
"Parents Mode d'Emploi"
(On Est Ensemble Productions), the new season 3 of "Allo Tribunal"
(Icone Média), a new futuristic short-format co-production "PRZ"
(Likasa), all currently in post-production, and many other surprises…
In the field of music, the highly successful magazine Platine Africa
will become a monthly program starting in January 2022.
The main challenges for TV5MONDE are to create quality content and broadcast it throughout Africa and around the world, and to promote the export of programs, which is what we do at TV5MONDE. We will not leave any genre behind. Series, films, documentaries, youth programs, web creations—we will work alongside producers to develop and finance quality programs from French-speaking Africa.
Thanks to the accession of the Principality of Monaco on December 9, which has become the sixth government to fund TV5 alongside Canada, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, France, Quebec, and Switzerland, we will be able to step up our investments in African production.
In addition, I can confirm the renewal of our partnership with the Fund for Young Francophone Creators, in synergy with the CNC, FWB, WBI, SODEC, Telefilm, SACD, and SACD Belgium. This fund, allocated to first and second audiovisual works (films, documentaries, fiction, series, youth programs), supports projects in development and production in southern countries. Administered by Générations Films (Burkina Faso), it is designed to support the production of young talent from French-speaking Africa. TV5MONDE has committed to acquiring 75% of the works supported in production.
Finally, the TV5MONDEplus Francophonie Fund, created in 2021 with the International Organization of La Francophonie at the initiative of the Government of Canada, has now been joined by France and Switzerland. I would like to remind you that in 2021 we supported 18 high-quality projects, the production of which we will also be following in 2022 and which will quickly bear fruit… And we are ready, together with the International Organization of La Francophonie, to launch the second call for projects soon…
And we will not stop there, because we are brimming with other ideas…
How is the audiovisual production sector doing on the continent? How is it evolving?
More and more wonderful projects are being developed, and great efforts are being made by talented, committed, and dynamic trained producers. The sector is doing better and evolving positively, for example in Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon, where there is a great deal of emulation. But there are no miracles either. Investors, particularly foreign investors, remain cautious about French-speaking Africa. However, although progress is slow, it is very real. These things take time, and the context has been complex for the past two years… But decisions have been made in some countries to support and finance culture and train people in various audiovisual professions. Strong international initiatives have also been created to support production in French-speaking Africa (ACP, DENTAAL, etc.), and African countries are also organizing themselves to promote "South-South" co-production (SENTOO). These combined efforts are beginning to bear fruit. At TV5MONDE, we are resolutely optimistic, but that does not prevent us from remaining focused and determined to seize the opportunities and meet all the challenges that the African continent has to offer.