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KALASHA INT. FILM & TV MARKET 2021 SET TO GO VIRTUAL
The 4th edition of the Kalasha International Film and TV Market scheduled for 5th to 7th May 2021 will take on a hybrid approach for the workshops, conferences and pitching competition to ensure safety measures during this pandemic season. The sessions will be streamed through the Kenya Film Commission Youtube channels. This year’s edition is themed: The Future of Content Creation In Africa.
The workshop and conference sessions addressing various topics will be in the form of webinars with key industry players in participation. The topics of discussion within the Conferences include:
~Opportunities and challenges in international co-productions.
~Role of Broadcasters regarding the local productions quota requirement.
~Opportunities within the Animation Industry.
~Opportunities in Gaming and ESports in Africa.
~Financial Models within the film industry.
~The Production Value Chain and Money in Content Creation
The Workshops will cover the following key areas:
~Digital and virtual creation
~Monetization of Animation projects and access to digital markets.
~Tax in the Creative Industry
~Marketing and Distribution of content.
The Pitching Competition will be an in-person event where those shortlisted in the 4 categories will be invited to pitch their concepts to a live Jury that comprises representative filmmakers from the various Associations and Guilds. The winners stand a chance to win Ksh 500,000 for each category, i.e, Film, Animation, Documentary and TV.
The pitching sessions will be held at the Sarit Centre Expo, Westlands, Nairobi, with highlights airing NTV on Saturday, 8th May 2021 at 8PM.
The complete schedule of the conferences and workshops will be available on our social media platforms. Look out for that and purpose to engage with Kenyan and International expert Panelists during the various sessions.
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MY KENYA MY STORY ROLLS OUT ITS FOURTH EDITION
The 4th edition of the My Kenya My Story mobile phone film competition is currently underway. This year’s edition is themed: The Social Economic Impact of COVID-19. As with the past three successful editions, filmmakers from across the country are invited to submit their short films; submission closes on 21st May 2021. See the poster for details.
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FILMMAKERS AWARDED IN THE 2ND CYCLE OF THE FILM EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME
Kenya Film Commission recently announced the beneficiaries of the second cycle of the Film Empowerment Programme. Out of 172 submissions received between 5th October 2020 and 18th December 2020, 14 Producers from Siaya, Nairobi, Kajiado, Nakuru and Kisumu Counties were awarded a total of Ksh 29, 343,000 for the development and production of local content.
The Commission partnered with Communications Authority of Kenya to jointly execute the programme in line with mutual interest of promoting the development of local content, moreso Children’s content.
The submissions showcased diverse ideas with the potential to culminate into award winning films and television shows. Feature films was the most common genre in the submissions for production funding, addressing themes such as corruption, early marriage, witchcraft, Female Genital Mutilation and Gender Based Violence. However, there was a considerable number of entries for Animation Productions featuring children content. This second cycle also received entries in the Documentary genre and unexplored genres of historical dramas and mockumentaries.
One of the beneficiaries of the first cycle of this Empowerment Programme – Bangarang feature film - was set to premiere in April 2021. The much awaited premiere has since been postponed following the health protocols barring mass gatherings. Look out for new premiere dates for Bangarang as well as the other productions from the first cycle.
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KENYA FILM COMMISSION CELEBRATES WOMEN IN FILM
For the second year running, Kenya Film Commission partnered with Beyond The Film Limited to celebrate women filmmakers and award outstanding personalities. This is aimed at supporting the Government agenda of women inclusion in various professional skills as well as promotion of the role played by women in the film industry.
The Awards Gala, which took place in March 2021, was graced by Ms. Nadia Ahmed Abdalla, the Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs.
The winners in this second edition were:
*Best Actress in a Film – Alison Nyawira
*Best Actress in a TV Drama – Yasmin Said
*Best Director, TV Drama – Caroline Odongo
*Best Director, Film – Wambui Gathee
*Best Assistant Director – Olympia Owira
*Best Newcomer Producer – Sarah Hassan
*Best Producer, Film – Toni Kamau
*Best Producer, TV Drama – Lulu Hassan
*Best Sound Designer – Maureen Wanjiku
*Best location Sound Recordist – Shiila Gathoni
*Best Editor – Angela Wamai
*Best Set Designer – Siteiya Warui
*Best Cinematographer – Emma Nzioka
*Best Animator – Wixx Mangutha
*Best Scriptwriter, Film – Damaris Irungu Ochieng
*Best Scriptwriter, TV Drama – Serah Mwihaki
*Best Make-Up Artist – Florence Gathoni
*Best Costume Designer – Rose Kambua
*Most influential Woman Personality – Judy Kibinge
Women in Film Awards seek to celebrate the drive, spirit and diversity of the woman filmmaker.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MULTICHOICE TALENT FACTORY (MTF) ACADEMY CLASS OF 2020
The second cohort of the Multichoice Talent Factory was dealt a heavy blow by the COVID-19 pandemic but the students from Nairobi, Lagos and Lusaka Academy Hubs were quick to adapt and transition from physical to virtual learning. This April, all the 60 students graduated after an extension of their coursework from 12 months to 18 months. Alongside their MTF qualification, the students also walked away with an equally illustrious qualification from the prestigious New York Film Academy of Visual and Performing Arts (NYFA).
The best performing students received additional awards from various partners such as NYFA, Nihilent Technologies, Jasco Broadcast Solutions, among others. Kenya’s Maurice Muendo emerged the most promising Film Video Editor in the East Africa region; he received an AVID media composer licence from Jasco Broadcast Solutions. Another Kenyan, Hanigun Kwenya, received a 4-week internship at one of Mnet Productions.
We wish the graduates all the best as they venture into the Film and TV industry.
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KENYAN PRODUCTIONS TO COMPETE AT ANNECY
"The Wonderful Story of Aisha, Ali and Flipflopi, the Multicoloured Dhow Boat", by Apes in Space for the Flipflopi Expedition, will be the first ever Kenyan short film in competition at Annecy! It was among the 12 films selected for the Young Audiences category. This animation was created to celebrate the World Clean Up Day 2020 which aimed at beating plastic pollution for clean seas.
Directed by Kwame Nyong’o, the film tells the story of Aisha and Ali who are unhappy about the plastic pollution in their otherwise idyllic Kenyan seaside village. The two decide to do something about it: collect all the plastic and make a big dhow sailing boat! The link to the "The Wonderful Story of Aisha, Ali and Flipflopi the Multicoloured Dhow Boat" is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CM0gSi5Hdk&t=10s
Apes In Space is also part of the international co-production team for Twende "Smoothie Operator" by Mike Scott which is in this year's Annecy TV competition. Twende is a South African-USA-Kenya-UK co-production in which Kwame Nyong'o is serving as an Executive Producer.
Besides the two productions, yet another Apes In Space production – The Legend of Lwanda Magere - won the Kalasha Award for Best Animation Production 2020.
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“ENDANGERED SPECIES”: FILM KENYA…CAPTURE AFRICA
Starring Rebecca Romijn (“X-MEN”) and Jerry O’Connell (Showtime’s "Billions"), Endangered Species is a gripping adventure tale that unfolds beneath a brutal African sun, filmed on location in Kenya. A man takes his wife, their adult kids, and a friend for a dream vacation in Kenya. But as they venture off alone into a wilderness park, their safari van is flipped over by an angry rhino, leaving them injured and desperate. Then, as two of them go in search of rescue, a bloody, vicious encounter with a leopard and a clan of hyenas incites a desperate fight for survival.
The film is set to premiere worldwide on May 28th 2021. See trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLw87Kc46kU
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CALL FOR ENTRIES: DOCUMENTARY AFRICA (DOCA 2021)
Documentary Africa is calling on documentary filmmakers, producers and organizations at large within the African continent to apply for Grant Funding. The grant will enable the beneficiaries to develop, produce and/or complete their respective projects.
Apply now on www.documentaryafrica.org/grant-listing. The deadline is 14th May 2021.
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