Côte d’Ivoire: Patricia Claude Kalou, passion and commitment to audiovisual and cinéma

Through her company, Première Ligne Production, which she founded in 2002, Patricia Claude Kalou has become a prominent figure in Côte d’Ivoire’s audiovisual and event production industry. As president of Côte d’Ivoire Audiovisual Producers’ Conference (CPACI) and High commissioner of the High Authority of Audiovisual Communication (HACA), the former TV host is actively involved in the growth of the country’s audiovisual production industry.

Sublime Touche”, “Un couple, une histoire” and “Top Dressing”… these TV magazines, which have been enthralling Ivorian viewers for a while, are all produced by Première Ligne Production. A company founded by Patricia Claude Kalou that specializes in television production and, more recently, in cinema, including short and feature films.

Her journey in audiovisual production began in 2002. After years as a TV host on Côte d’Ivoire’s leading channel RTI, following literature studies and journalism training at the Ecole Française des Attachés de Presse, she decided to move into production. She then founded the Feline magazine, promoting women across all sectors. One thing leading to another, she forged relationships with various advertisers and jumped into the world of production, a project that had already been brewing within her for a while “When you are a TV presenter, you are at the heart of production. You have great ideas in your head, and you see how things function. Aware of the difficulties, you want to bring something new. I have a lot of fun in production, because I’m upstream on several projects, so I can steer them according to my vision. I have more room to maneuver”, she explains to Africa Women Experts.

Producing TV magazines, films, series and organizing events

At a time when Côte d’Ivoire’s audiovisual is booming, Première Ligne is producing fresh content for several television stations in the country. “For some years now, the audiovisual landscape has been very effervescent and dynamic. This allows us to offer our programs to other TV channels, which is quite important,” she explains. These television productions include entertainment magazines on women’s issues, a subject she is passionate about, as well as fashion, home life, entrepreneurship, etc.

Alongside television production, the company produces also short and feature films, such as “Commissariat 115e arrondissement”, as well as documentaries such as “Le film de ma vie”, recently produced, and series such as “Cœur d’Ebène”, released at the end of 2021. In addition to audiovisual production, the company has also focused on organising events, such as “Maman Kignon”, dedicated to showcasing courageous mothers, and “Létagonin”, the International Exhibition of fighting Women in Côte d’Ivoire, which addresses various subjects relating to women through panels, discussions and so on. “The issue of women is of great concern to us and to advertisers. Today, many products target women. As a result, several advertisers were interested in the type of events we were organising”, she explains.

Committed to the development of Côte d’Ivoire’s audiovisual and cinema

In addition to her commitment to the cause of women, Patricia Kalou is also involved in the promotion of cinema and audiovisual in Côte d’Ivoire. Since 2016, she has served as High Commissioner of the High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA), the body responsible for regulating the sector in Côte d’Ivoire. She has also headed the Côte d’Ivoire Audiovisual Producers’ Conference (CPACI) for the past 8 years. She is involved in structuring the industry, supporting audiovisual production structures to emerge from the informal sector, as well as seeking funding and training professionals and technicians in the field to raise the standards of Ivorian audiovisual and film productions to international norms. With a view to promoting Ivorian cinema and audiovisual professionals, her institution initiated the NISA, « Nuit Ivoirienne du 7e art et de l’Audiovisuel », of which she is the General Commissioner. The event, which has reached its 5th edition, brings together professionals, actors, producers, directors, broadcasters and technicians to celebrate the best actors in Ivorian cinema and the audiovisual industry.

Regarding the presence of women in this sector, confides the producer, more and more women are moving into the audiovisual industry in Côte d’Ivoire, a trend that she encourages. “In all the projects we have, we want women to be involved, to move into technical professions. We need female cameramen, editors, scriptwriters. We encourage this more and more,” she confides.

Despite the recent growth of the audiovisual sector in Côte d’Ivoire, it still faces challenges, particularly in terms of funding. To succeed, she stresses, producers must demonstrate perseverance and polyvalence by diversifying their activities, as well as innovation and open-mindedness in order to adapt to industry changes. Today, her dream is to provide a headquarter for the CPACI, but also to prepare the succession within her company to ensure its continuity.

Danielle France Engolo