Pinehas Nakaziko
Aspiring film and television creatives are invited to apply for the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) academy through www.multichoicetalentfactory.com before July 5.
The academy was launched in the capital end of last week. MultiChoice Africa, one of the continents leading video entertainment services provider, announced a bold new Pan-African social investment initiative, MTF, aimed at igniting and growing Africa’s creative industries into vibrant and economic centres. The 60 post-school MTF will be selected from 13 African countries where MultiChoice operates. The selected applicants will have an exciting opportunity to hone their television and film production skills in the company of industry experts during the year-long programme beginning this October. “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. 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,” says Roger Gertze, MultiChoice Namibia’s General Manager.
For over two decades, MultiChoice has been committed to investing in the development of original African programming and showcasing it on the DStv and GOtv platforms across 49 sub-Saharan African countries. The launch of MTF forms part of the company’s new strategy of furthering this investment through creating shared value by using its core business resources, people, skills and networks to affect a positive change in society that yields benefits for the business and society, to deliver three touch points that launch throughout the year, the MTF academies, Masterclasses and the MTF Portal.
The first to launch is the MTF Academy, a 12-month educational programme aimed at furnishing 60 deserving, 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 at three regional MTF Academies based in Kenya for East Africa, Nigeria for West Africa and Zambia for Southern African countries and will be overseen by acclaimed film and television industry experts, In Southern Africa, Berry Lwando has been appointed as the Academy Director for the hub. MTF Academy students will produce television and film content that will be aired on our local M-Net channels across the MultiChoice platform including Africa Magic, Maisha Magic East, Maisha Magic Bongo, Zambezi Magic, M-Net and SuperSport to reach African audiences on the DStv and GOtv platforms.