TANKA, your company is in the spotlight today as CACAO, the series you produced, is set to premiere tonight on CANAL+. First of all
, could you tell us a little about your company and its various activities?
I have developed two types of business: consulting for African media and entrepreneurs through TANKA Media, and production through TANKA Studio, which produced CACAO. We seek out or generate ideas, identify opportunities, and manage project development and financing. To develop our projects in Africa, we work with writers from the continent and team up with local partners for co-production and/or executive production.
CACAO depicts two rival families fighting for control of the cocoa trade. How and when did you come up with the idea for a series on this theme?
The idea came from Yolande Bogui, who had been working on the "Flingues et Chocolat" project for several years, and we had supported her when I was at CANAL+. When I created TANKA Studio, I had in mind to relaunch it because the writing was very advanced and I was convinced that there was a great opportunity to create a major African saga. Yolande Bogui trusted me, and we were able to bring her baby to life under the title "CACAO."
How did you manage to finance such an ambitious project?
It's a gamble. CANAL+ is our main financial partner. CFI initially helped a lot with the writing development, and the OIF also believed in it and supported us. Locally, the Nawa region provided us with support. Unfortunately, African countries do not have the budgets to support a cultural industry that is nevertheless a huge source of jobs and revenue.
How are the roles divided between TANKA Studio, Underscan, and CANAL+?
TANKA Studio is the producer of the project and, as such, manages the rights, the writers, the script, the financing, and the choice of executive producer and director, in this case Alex Ogou, with whom I wanted to set up this project from the outset. With Underscan, his company, he is the executive producer and was responsible for the budget, the work plan, the general organization of the shoot, and post-production. We chose the cast together in coordination with CANAL+ INTERNATIONAL (Cécile Gérardin), while taking certain risks on new talent. As the primary broadcaster, CANAL+ is organizing the communication for the launch of the series in French-speaking Africa and soon in France. TANKA Studio is handling international sales.
There are always ups and downs during a shoot of this magnitude. Did you encounter any particular difficulties? Did they have any impact on the budget or delivery time?
Yes, it was a particularly long (six and a half months) and difficult shoot. Firstly, because the richness of the scripts meant that we had to shoot in many locations and settings, particularly outdoors, some of which were seven hours away from Abidjan, which meant that 60 people had to be accommodated in the Mayo-Soubré region. The weather did not spare us during the rainy season. And unfortunately
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two members of the team died during filming. These events greatly affected the team. They added one month to the shoot and caused us to go over budget.
I believe you are currently working on new fiction projects for television? What can you tell our readers about them?
We shot a pilot for the crime series "La Scientifique" created by Ray Reboul in association with CINEKITA Ci. We are currently writing a second draft of the script and aim to start filming in the first half of 2021. We have two other projects in development with two other countries in very different worlds, and we are in talks to partner on an animated series co-developed between Africa, the US, and Europe. Finally, if the audience is there for "CACAO," we will launch the development of a second season.
Read also: "CACAO," the new family saga from CANAL+ Original