Cash-starved film industry banks on digital platform
Crew of Slum TV on set of one of their productions. Executive Director of Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI) Ms Jane Murago-Munene said the filming industry is looking for ways to distribute their content on the digital signal to circumvent some of the challenges. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- FEPACI has launched a platform inviting African and African Diaspora filmmakers to submit their scripts for production of short films and documentaries.
- The call, dubbed ‘Ambika pitching and production forum’ will be open for the next two months and will be seeking 20 youth and women for a training session and later funding for their projects.
- This is the first initiative the organisation has undertaken since it moved its secretariat to Kenya in February this year for the next four years.
Lack of funding and poor distribution channels have been cited as some of the major challenges crippling the film industry in Kenya.
Executive Director of Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI) Ms Jane Murago-Munene said the filming industry is looking for ways to distribute their content on the digital signal to circumvent some of the challenges.
“The digital platform has provided a higher demand for content compared to the analogue platform,” said Ms Munene.
Unlike the analogue platform, the digital signal can be compressed to allow for more channels to be broadcast within a single frequency.
However financial constraints continue to hurt the industry because not many financial institutions are willing to finance film and the creative arts.
“This is because they (banks) are not clear on the returns on investment,” said Ms Munene.
ONLINE SEMINARS
Filmmakers, she said, should be trained on entrepreneurship skills such as budgeting, sourcing for funds as well as distribution channels.
FEPACI has launched a platform inviting African and African Diaspora filmmakers to submit their scripts for production of short films and documentaries.
The call, dubbed ‘Ambika pitching and production forum’ will be open for the next two months and will be seeking 20 youth and women for a training session and later funding for their projects.
“We are only just beginning and we will continue to launch initiatives that will greatly contribute towards a successful and vibrant sector,” said FEPACI secretary general Mr Cheick Oumar Sissoko.
This is the first initiative the organisation has undertaken since it moved its secretariat to Kenya in February this year for the next four years.
The 20 individuals will undertake a training to be conducted through a residential workshop followed by a series of online sessions.
“The focus of the training will be on script analysis, revision and rewriting and aims to produce quality scripts that will have a strong dramatic impact on diverse audiences,” said Ms Munene.
The training, which is slated for January 2016, will also include session on budgeting and intellectual property protection.
FEPACI relocated into the country in Kenya from South Africa, an offer that came with a pledge to fun the organisation to the tune of Sh84 million per year for the Kenyan government.
The Ambika Project will include pitching and production forums, training, a film fund and the Safari Film Festival.
