The pool of film-making talent in Southern Africa will be substantially increased when the latest group of 20 students graduate from the 2024 study at the MultiChoice Talent Factory Southern Africa Academy in Lusaka.
MultiChoice Zimbabwe head corporate affairs and public relations Charity Njanji said the MTF Southern Africa Academy was one of three on the continent.
The other two are in Lagos, Nigeria (for West Africa) and Nairobi, Kenya (for East Africa), where 2024 studies are underway at 20 students each.
"At the Lusaka Academy, as at the others, the students will spend 12 months gaining skills in screen writing, editing, producing and directing, through study and practical experience on TV and film productions. The fully-funded curriculum includes workshops, lectures, masterclasses and assignments," she said.
Among the group that started its training year, recently are two Zimbabwean students, Mollen Ruvimbo Chisveto and Sandelo Msalili, both hoping to enter the world of film-making once they complete.
MTF students learn under tutelage of experienced industry professionals from across the globe and in the final stages of the course they develop feature films for broadcast on various DStv channels and on DStv's Showmax.
The most recent MTF Academy group also enjoyed an intensive online training course with the New York Film Academy.
Njanji said in Southern Africa the MTF Academy curriculum was created with MultiChoice Africa's partner institution, the University of Zambia, which confers the course qualifications on completion of the academy programme.
"This year's students went through a rigorous six-week selection process and adjudication by film and television experts, as well as regional academy directors," she said.
In the MTF Southern Africa Academy 2024 course, 55 percent of students in this year's intake are male and 45 percent are female, hailing from Zambia, Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi, Botswana, Angola and Zimbabwe.
Since its establishment in 2018, the Africa-wide MTF Academy programme has produced more than 300 graduates, who are now qualified young filmmakers helping to take African stories to the world.
The training that the MTF Academy provides is geared to broadening the skillsets of aspirant filmmakers and to empowering them to work in various creative disciplines, not only in the film industry.
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An MTF survey has found that 92 percent of MTF Academy graduates go on to work in the creative sector, a thoroughly satisfying figure.
"Once they leave our Academy, many MTF graduates go on to work on MultiChoice productions or with other broadcasters in the region," said Njanji.
"Other graduates start businesses and become our partners and suppliers in the industry, so MTF is about developing the skills to support a vibrant, collaborative industry environment."
Last year's MTF Southern African Academy created a talented pool of passionate and skilled young creatives, many of whom joined local productions with the Zambia National Film Commission, as well as pan-African film and televisions productions including Salem, Tempted, Engaito, Mvamizi, Mum vs Wife, Makofi and County 49.
MTF Southern Africa classes support the MultiChoice vision of producing quality local content, according to Mrs Njanji.
"We've seen how DStv audiences across Africa react to content made by other Africans and we look forward to seeing the work produced by this year's group of MTF students."
