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To counter the industry gap and need for cross continental distribution, independent film and television producers, Samad Davis, Cati Weinek and Dumi Gumbi have created a launch pad for African and African-American filmmakers.
Ergo Distro International (EDI) is a feature-film distribution company that also co-finances high quality independent projects between Africa and the United States, to help filmmakers, who desire to market and distribute their feature films on both continents and throughout the diaspora.
The first film to be distributed by EDI is The Other Side, which is out in South African cinemas in December this year.
The Other Side explores the complexities of a non-traditional love triangle, starring Roger Guenveur Smith known for acting in Marshall, Queen Sugar, American Gangster, Brad James from Superstition, Let’s Stay Together, Underground, The New Edition Story, Erica Hubbard (Lets Stay Together, Chicago Med, 72 Hours), and South African actress Altovise Lawrence who starred in Love By Chance, Blood Drive NBC), as well as Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. best known for his roles in Juwanna Man and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.
“As a producer of African content, I believe the best films deserve a global audience. There is a lot we have to offer in Africa that is innovative and inspiring,” says Gumbi.
Gumbi, Davis and Weinek, as a team decided to establish a business model to assist directors and producers to commercially showcase their high quality dramas, action-thrillers and romantic comedies to a broader market.
EDI has an established distribution pipeline on this continent for multi-platform releases - moving from theatrical, video-on-demand, television, airlines, streaming-video-on-demand and DVD - where films will be able to move smoothly between platforms, within a reasonable period of time.
Based on their individual challenging experiences of releasing films in new markets, the EDI team says they are committed to replicating the same seamless release system in the North American market, which has traditionally been more difficult for minority, independent filmmakers to systemize, recoup the costs of production and actually make a profit.
“I’ve spent the last ten years creating content within America and Africa, hoping to one day marry the two worlds, through entertaining, meaningful and commercially viable storytelling. EDI is that Bridge,” says Davis.
