Known Associates Group, Inner City Films and Circle Blue Entertainment team up to launch South African-Canadian outfit KIC Group (EXCLUSIVE)

South Africa’s Known Associates Group (KAG) has partnered with Canada’s Inner City Films (ICF) and Circle Blue Entertainment (CBE) to launch a new venture that will produce African feature films and TV series for audiences across the whole world, the companies announced on Saturday. at the Cannes Film Festival.

With offices in Johannesburg, Toronto and Los Angeles, KIC Group will build on the track records of the three pioneering companies, while also developing innovative financing models and capitalizing on an existing co-production agreement between their respective countries.

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“We are pleased to partner with ICF and CBE to create premium international content,” said Joel Chikapa Phiri, Executive Chairman of Known Associates Group, parent company of Johannesburg-based Known Associates Entertainment (KAE) and Cape Town. based Moonlighting films.

“Joining forces with ICF and KAG to produce cross-border films and TV series builds on audiences’ new appetite for international content across all markets,” said Circle Blue Entertainment founder Amos Adetuyi. “This deal bridges talent across continents to show what is possible when we work together.”

The group is developing a series of twelve titles with an expected production volume of $60 million. First up is “Dreams of the Moon,” a 1970s drama with an estimated $8 million budget set against the backdrop of the secret NASA Apollo 16 training mission. It stars Nia Long and Eden Duncan-Smith, who starred in the Netflix and Spike Lee-produced Tribeca premiere “See You Yesterday.”

The Canada-South Africa co-production is supported by funding from Telefilm, the South African Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and an African banking facility. Pic is distributed by Elevation Pictures and Africa Entertainment in America (AEIA).

The joint venture between the three companies will not only leverage their financing and production expertise, but also benefit from Known Associates’ infrastructure in South Africa, which includes one of Africa’s most experienced production services companies in Moonlighting, post-production facilities and the upcoming Cradle Film Studios, which will consist of 14 sound stages and 2 water tanks for what KAG executives describe as the largest film studio in Africa.

“This venture brings together all of our film and television businesses under one roof, giving the company access to KAG’s successful businesses,” said Tshepiso Chikapa Phiri, CEO of Known Associates Group.

Founded in 2014 by Tshepiso Chikapa Phiri, Known Associates expanded in 2018 with production house Known Associates Entertainment, which was co-founded by Emmy Award-winning director-producer Dan Jawitz, while film financier and executive producer Joel Chikapa Phiri now serves as chairman. In 2022, the company acquired market leader Moonlighting Films, which has served dozens of Hollywood blockbusters.

Circle Blue Entertainment is known for developing series, spotting new talent and advocating diversity. It was founded by Amos Adetuyi, the executive producer behind the groundbreaking Canadian legal drama “Diggstown,” whose star, Vinessa Antoine, was the first black Canadian woman to lead a primetime drama on network television.

Inner City Films, led by Alfons Adetuyi, is known for its international co-production experience and has sold titles to more than 60 countries through its own distribution division. Adetuyi produced and directed the first official Canada-South Africa co-production, “Ekhaya: A Family Chroncile,” as well as the romantic comedy “Love Jacked,” starring Amber Stevens West, Shamier Anderson, Mike Epps and David Keith. acquired by Netflix.

“Together we possess a collective power, a unified vision and a strong passion for storytelling,” said Alfons Adetuyi of Inner City Films. “This collaboration is all about joining forces to bring amazing stories to life, of which ‘Dreams of the Moon’ is just the beginning.”

Pictured (left to right): Moroba Nkawe, CEO of Known Associates Entertainment; Renowned Associates Group Chairman Joel Chikapa Phiri; Well-known Associates Group CEO Tshepiso Chikapa Phiri; Alfons Adetuyi, CEO of Inner City Films; head of Known Associates Group investments Mpumezo Vuzane

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