Burna Boy, Mandla Dube Headline Latest Black Mic Mac Slate

Nigerian Afrobeat megastar Burna Boy and fast-rising South African filmmaker Mandla Dube are among the names headlining the new slate from Black Mic Mac, the production banner championing African and Middle Eastern talent that was launched last year by production and sales vet Pape Boye and Logical Pictures.

The line-up includes close to a dozen films and television series from both emerging and established talents that showcase the range of dynamic voices the region has to offer. “I’m so proud to work with so many different filmmakers all over the continent, and to continue to try to discover talent who want to entertain the world,” said Boye.

Leading off the company’s roster, the chart-topping sensation Burna Boy has been tapped to executive produce “Three Cold Dishes,” a thriller from director Asurf Oluseyi about three teenagers who were sold into the sex trade who reunite 13 years later to plot their revenge. The film is produced by Ifind, Alma Prods., Asurf Films and Martian Network and co-produced by Black Mic Mac. Burna Boy is executive producing through Spaceship Films, the company he co-founded with Bose Ogulu.

“This film is a testament to the strength and resilience of its characters, and it took us blood and sweat to get it to this stage,” said Oluseyi, describing “Dishes” as “the biggest pan-African film yet” and “an African cinematic journey like no other.”

Meanwhile, “Silverton Siege” director Dube, who has a multi-title pact with Netflix, is currently developing the occult crime-thriller limited series “The Devil Inside,” which tells the story of a detective struggling to solve a series of murders and child abductions in a small town. The show is created by Dube and Willem Grobler and produced by Storyscope, with Black Mic Mac on board as co-producers.

The project marks the second collaboration between Dube and Grobler, who last teamed up on the Netflix thriller “Heart of the Hunter.” Producer Neil Brandt of Storyscope said “The Devil Inside” “delves deeply into the psychology and psychosis of contemporary South Africa, offering a fresh and compelling narrative that reflects the trials of a country often at war with itself.”

Another anticipated title is “The Three Rascals,” director Ishaya Bako’s Nigerian adaptation of the Burkinabé hit “Les Trois Lascars,” a comedy about three married men who decide to take a secret holiday to visit their mistresses, only to see their alibi go up in flames when the plane they were supposed to be on crashes. The film is produced by Les Raconteurs and co-produced by Black Mic Mac and Black Armada.

Also in development is “Apophenia,” a Johannesburg-set action movie from writer-director Loukman Ali, that follows a bumbling yet ambitious pickpocket who joins forces with a terminally ill cop to pull off a daring heist. Pic is produced by Big World Cinema and co-produced by Black Mic Mac.

Other projects in the pipeline include “La Sape,” a documentary about a young fashion designer from Congolese filmmaker Jean Luc Herbulot, whose last feature, “Saloum,” premiered at the Toronto Film Festival; “The Great Transporter,” a crime series about a 19-year-old drug trafficker with mystical powers created by Alassane Sy and Latigone N’Goma; and “The Cage,” a reality show from François Nyam and Babacar Sy that will pit the continent’s toughest MMA fighters against each other.

As Variety previously announced, Black Mic Mac is also developing “Let the Earth Burn,” a six-part crime series set in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains from Sundance-prizewinning Sofia Alaoui and “The Bridge” creator Måns Mårlind.

The line-up is the latest sign that Boye and Logical’s year-old label is positioning itself to become a major player in the African market. Earlier this week, as Variety revealed, the Logical Pictures Group also announced it’s launching a major new venture focused on financing, production and distribution on the continent.

“Logical Pictures has now established in Europe a uniquely positioned group that can finance, distribute and produce content internationally with outstanding talents,” said the group’s head, Frédéric Fiore. “With Logical Pictures Africa, we want to emulate a similar ecosystem in one of the most creative places in the world, dovetailing our approach to the specificities of each part of the world.”