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#SHOWBIZ:  Idris Elba to open film studio in Zanzibar

Hollywood star Idris Elba has been allocated land in Zanzibar to set up a film studio in the Indian Ocean archipelago, a local minister said.

The British actor and rapper, who has Sierra Leonean and Ghanaian roots, has previously spoken about his desire to develop the film industry in Africa.

"Idris Elba will be building a modern studio similar to Hollywood, Nollywood or Bollywood," Zanzibar's Investment Minister Shariff Ali Shariff said last  Thursday.

He said the government of Zanzibar  granted Elba 80 hectares  of land in Fumba, on the island of Unguja, for the studio.

"I'm not sure what we will call it in Zanzibar, whether Zallywood or Zawood," Shariff said jokingly as he addressed industry players at the Zanzibar International Film Festival.

Local media said the studio could boost Tanzania's budding efforts to become a hub for international film production.

The studio plan follows discussions last year between Elba and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

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