The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) has asked Hannutu Musawa, the minister of art, culture and creative economy, to create more development funding for the film sector.
NAN reports that Chidia Maduekwe, the managing director of NFC, spoke while presenting a number of film festivals to the minister.
Maduekwe said policymaking will help in sustaining the sector’s contributions to content creation, effective film distribution, and exhibition.
Maduekwe said the minister should revisit training and capacity building, and the establishment of a national film development fund.
He said NFC had achieved a 10-year hosting partnership with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in 2021 through an MoU that designated Abuja as its official host city.
Maduekwe said it is natural for Abuja to be named the official host city for the film festivals in line with best global practices.
The NFC chief said that the film industry’s challenges have slowed down its development process and growth rate in the sector.
He stated that this particularly includes the laws, including the NFC Act of 1979, that need to be reviewed.
“This has never undergone any single amendment in the last 44 years, and another legal framework for the Motion Picture Practitioners Council (MOPICON)”, he said.
“The National Film Institute (NFI), Jos has continued to provide training and capacity building for Nigeria in film and television production, including entrepreneurial skills acquisition for youths across the geopolitical zones of the country.
“This is achieved through its Mobile Audiovisual Training Platform, aside from the master’s degree programme in Film Culture and Archiving Studies.
“The progress at the National Film Video and Sound Archive (NFVSA), recently designated the national repository for audio-visual heritage was also brought into focus.”
In response, the minister commended the NFC for its various achievements in spite of its obsolete law.
The minister assured NFC that the government was determined to ensure an effective and efficient film industry.
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