The academy opening celebrated the future of the film and television industry with some of the southern region's most esteemed figures including ministers and distinguished dignitaries, talent and promising filmmakers.
Minister of information and broadcasting services and chief government spokesperson of the Republic of Zambia, Dora Siliya, graced the launch as keynote speaker.Siliya acknowledged the partnership between Zambia and Multichoice as rewarding: “The fact that MultiChoice can take a chance with the young people in the region calls for a special applause. Under that point, I want to call on the private sector and reiterate that the magic in the film sector in other countries such as Nigeria is a result of the private sector such as banks and others taking a chance on the film industry. We are not going to tell our stories if we are going to wait for financial support from overseas. We can only tell our stories if the private sector in our countries in the region takes a chance on these young people and most of all the film industry as a whole.”
Twenty candidates will be provided with skill sets to develop their talent, connect with industry professionals and tell authentic African stories through their 12-month training.
The students were officially welcomed into the academy by professor Nkandu Luo, minister of higher education of Zambia who recognised that the MTF curriculum that will comprise of theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience in cinematography, editing, audio production and storytelling is the first of its kind in Africa. “We must celebrate the fact that Zambia has been chosen as the hub for the southern region. I am confident that the right curriculum will be tested on the 20 students and it is my belief that this curriculum is not a static document. As we move on with this training programme, we will be able to realign the training, so that Africa will be celebrating a team of professionals who will propel the film and television industry. Today is a culmination of a lot of hard work between professionals from the University of Zambia and our regulator, the Higher Education Authority and MultiChoice”.
In the spirit of igniting Africa's creative industries, the event was filled with entertainment hosted by MCs, David Mbeha from Namibia (TLC's 'Next Great Presenter' 2015) and Mwaka Mugala, lead actress in Zambian telenovela 'Zuba'. The opening bout featured vibrant acts such as traditional dancing, LED stilt walkers, fire jugglers, a ladder show and everything in-between.
MultiChoice Talent Factory has unfolded in its journey to identify and place a brand new generation of Africa's outstanding film makers who are to be trained in the discipline of film making by industry experts. pic.twitter.com/rE6mgT9hs9
— DStv Zimbabwe (@DStvZimbabwe) October 16, 2018
