First Sino-African film to start production in Beijing

As the first coproduction between China and Africa, the feature-length drama Ebola has recently announced on Aug 29 it will start production in Beijing.

Based on China's largest humanitarian aid effort, which sent more than 1,200 medical workers to West Africa to fight against the Ebola outbreak in 2014, the movie is scheduled to wrap up the script by the end of this year. It will be shot in Africa in 2019 and plans to finish the entire production in 2020.

The film is jointly produced by the Beijing-based studio Shinework Pictures and Perception Management International Ghana Ltd, a film and television production company in Ghana.

Shen Jian, chairman and CEO of Shinework Pictures, says he has always wanted to produce films which can convey positive messages and let more overseas audiences know about China's contributions to the world.

"This year marks the 55th anniversary of China's medical aid to Africa. A number of doctors, nurses and healthcare workers have been sent to Africa. Some of them even wrote posthumous papers. There are many very emotional, touching stories," says Shen.

Zeng Junzhen, the mother of one of his best friends, was among the first group of Chinese medical staff sent to Africa in 1963, and she died of acute jaundiced liver atrophy and was buried in Africa, recalls Shen.

Shen also reveals that several Chinese writers will join hands with a Ghanaian journalist to co-write the script, and the film will recruit A-list performers from China and Africa.

"We expect that people would know what happened in Africa and how the government of China has helped Africans to eradicate the disease," says Albert Mensah, director of Perception.

He adds Ghana was home to the United Nations and World Health Organization emergency response headquarters against Ebola, which made him one of the witnesses to see China's medical aid activities to African countries, including Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.