Back in June, Africa’s leading video entertainment company MultiChoice called on aspiring young film and television creative minds and aspiring filmmakers in Africa to apply for the MultiChoice Talent Factory Academy programme. Aimed to ignite Africa’s creative industries by giving a 12-month educational training, the prospective students will be provided with skill sets to develop that talent, connect with industry professionals and tell authentic African stories through a comprehensive curriculum comprising of theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience in cinematography, acting, editing, audio production, directing, film production, script writing and storytelling.
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Over 3,100 entries were received according to MultiChoice, and the number was whittled down over regional interviews and screening processes. Last month, twenty noteworthy candidates emerged as finalists from across Nigeria and Ghana. “These talented creative will have the opportunity to know how to make films and tell stories while actually making films and telling stories.” Femi Odugbemi, the academy regional director, said.
On Monday, the MultiChoice Talent Factory was officially launched, opening its doors to the twenty selected applicants from Nigeria and Ghana. The Lagos State Commissioner of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Honourable Steve Ayorinde, said the film industry expect a lot from the trainees. “What MultiChoice did deserves huge commendation and these 20 students should consider themselves lucky. They need to acknowledge the fact that stakeholders in the entertainment industry in Nigeria and across the continent expect a lot from them, and the students on their part should make good use of this opportunity given to them.”
It will be interesting the projects these new crop of talents produce once the competition is finally over. Multichoice as a whole seems to be leaning to scripted soap serials but there clearly is a market for Oscar bait as has been shown by the two Kenyan entries for the best foreign film category at this year’s oscars, Rafiki and Supamodo.
When Bernard Dayo isn’t writing about pop culture, he’s watching horror movies and reading comics and trying to pretend his addiction to Netflix isn’t a serious condition.
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