Lagos, Nigeria (CNN)Disney, is joining forces with a Nigerian production and distribution company to market some of the American entertainment conglomerate's new releases such as "Mulan" in English-speaking West Africa.
The deal makes FilmOne Entertainment the sole distributors of Disney-owned films in Nigeria, Ghana, and Liberia.
"It is a major career highlight, that we're able to get the world's biggest movie studio as a partner," Moses Babatope, a director at FilmOne, told CNN.
Bigger opportunities
Film analysts in the country say this deal may convince investors and film producers to look further into the African movie industry.
"This deal is huge because it means that Disney is paying attention. Their presence can open doors for movie collaborations," said Shola Thompson, a Nigeria-based film consultant.
Thompson added that distributing Disney movies is a pathway to getting the best content to cinemas, which can improve the cinema-going culture in the region as well as increase their potential earnings.
Independence key to collaboration
Thompson who is also a film analyst says the growing influence of entertainment companies like Disney on the continent may create room for greater Hollywood influence in Africa, without a corresponding influence of African film content in Hollywood.
"We need to be a bit careful to make sure we don't lose creative control of our stories. With more multinationals looking into Africa for partnerships, we don't want to find ourselves stuck with them dictating what we start to produce," he said.
"At the same time, we can still be glad that they are paying attention as that means growth for our film industry," he added.
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