Launched in May 2018 as part of MultiChoice Africa’s corporate shared value (CSV) initiative aimed at igniting Africa’s creative industry through TV and film-making, today the MTF Academy officially announced the much-anticipated call to entry to all emerging filmmakers from 13 African countries. The programme is open to candidates with industry experience or a relevant post-school qualification in film-making to hone their television and film production skills under the guidance and mentorship of industry experts.
Only 60 students will be selected to be part of the much sought-after year-long and fully-funded programme at three academy hubs located in Southern Africa (Lusaka, Zambia), East Africa (Nairobi, Kenya) and West Africa (Lagos, Nigeria) headed by industry leaders Berry Lwando, NjokiMuhoho and Femi Odugbemi, respectively.
As part of the programme, young film-makers are provided with training and hands-on experience in the film industry, with a focus on storytelling, production, audio and directing and other key areas.The academies also provide students with an opportunity to learn directly from well-known leading industry experts, work on live sets of local TV productions and create original content that will be aired on various local M-Net channels across the MultiChoice platforms– DStv, GOtv and Showmax.
So far, MTF Academies have exposed the Class of 2018 to real-life industry immersions which includes the Kenya Hub students working on productions such as music reality show Coke Studio, Pambio, Turn-Up and the popular Swahili telenovela, Selina. In Nigeria, the students cut their teeth on the thrilling series Battleground, The Johnsons, Tinsel and Flatmates which is a situational comedy, whilst in Zambia, the class worked on the reality show, Date My Family, Top ZED music show and the drama series Chintelelwe. The students also had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience on SuperSport shows and pitch their final-semester film projects to MultiChoice channel executives.
As part of MultiChoice Africa’s investment in growing Africa’s creative industries into vibrant economies, MTF in 2019 extended its commitment by introducing the MTF Masterclass series, aimed at upskilling industry professionals by offering exclusive access to practical, expert-led industry skills workshops in various counties. And in March, the initiative rolled out the MTF Portal,www.multichoicetalentfactory.com, an interactive online destination which brings talent and opportunities together under one platform for Africa’s creatives to connect and network with each other.