MultiChoice launches talent academy for aspiring filmmakers

MultiChoice has launched the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) aimed at growing Africa’s creative industries.

The pan-African initiative comes in three packages: the MTF Academy, Masterclasses and the MTF Portal.

MultiChoice says it will first roll out the MTF Academy, a 12-month educational programme aimed at training 60 young, talented people who want to work and innovate in film and television production.

The MTF Academy students will be provided with skillsets to develop their talent, connect with industry professionals and tell authentic African stories through a comprehensive curriculum comprising theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience in cinematography, editing, audio production and storytelling.

The programme will take place in three regional MTF Academies based in Nigeria for West Africa, Kenya for East Africa and Zambia for Southern African countries.

It will be overseen by acclaimed local film & TV industry experts.

“Professional training is key to success in any occupation. We need interventions like the MTF so that emerging filmmakers are better equipped in the creative processes that have scholarship and technology at their foundation,” said Femi Odugbemi, MTF Academy director for West Africa.

Beginning May 30, call for entries will run until July 5. The prospective students will be selected from the 13 African countries where MultiChoice operates.

“The African development story has long been defined by investment in the vast mineral wealth on the continent, leaving our creative industries to fend for themselves on the fringes of economic development for far too long,” said John Ugbe, managing director, MultiChoice Nigeria.

“As a result, the film and television industries have not developed at the same rate as other industries on the continent, and not for a lack of talent, passion or imagination.

“We are abundantly blessed in these areas, however, the space given for this expression has at best been limited and at worst, been relegated to the fringes of the mainstream economy, leaving in its wake, unfulfilled dreams, unexplored talent and unwritten stories.”