Areej Noor’s Statement Films secures $750k backing from Magic Johnson, Samuel L Jackson & LaTanya Richardson Jackson

Areej Noor

Areej Noor’s Statement Films has secured $750,000 seed funding from NBA star Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, Hollywood actor Samuel L Jackson and director & producer LaTanya Richardson Jackson.

Statement Films focuses on producing African women-led IP for international buyers and aims to bridge the gap between African and diaspora female filmmakers and the global market.

“I grew up exposed to incredibly creative and powerful stories of African women, but I felt they were still underserved by Western media and the entertainment elite — that is why I founded Statement Films,” said Noor, who has become known as a writer, producer and political analyst.

“Having the support of Hollywood, sports and business titans gives us the momentum to establish new and equitable pathways for the explosive female talent coming from the continent.”

The prodco said it would use the additional funding to scale up into a media and insights business that increases the visibility of African creatives, while its production arm will remain focused on building a pipeline for female filmmakers on the continent and in the diaspora.

Jackson, who was joined in the funding round by Robyn & Tony Coles and Vicki & John Palmer, said: “The company is doing such important work to fill a long overdue gap in the industry. We can look forward with optimism to the future of African women in film.”