World class film festival will be hosted by the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy in Abuja this December.
In particular, Chidia Maduekwe, the Chief Executive of NFC, visited Hannatu Musawa, the Minister of Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy, in Abuja and gave her a road plan for achieving the goal and other stated milestones for developing the country’s film sector.
At the briefing, Maduekwe stated that the Corporation had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in 2021 that established Abuja as the official host city as part of its plans to have the Zuma Film Festival truly represent the inventiveness of Nigeria.
The minister and other top officials received insightful information about the NFC’s agenda during the meeting.
According to Maduekwe, Abuja should be designated as the official host city for the film festival in accordance with best international procedures, citing the cities of Cannes, Toronto, Durban, and a number of others as examples.
The head of the NFC also outlined obstacles that have stymied the film industry’s growth and development, focusing in particular on laws like the outdated NFC Act of 1979, which has gone 44 years without even a single amendment, and other legal frameworks for the Motion Picture Practitioners Council (MOPICON).
He urged the minister to review some crucial film industry policies that could help the industry grow and continue to make contributions to content creation, efficient film distribution and exhibition, training and capacity building, and the creation of the National Film Development Fund, or NFDF.
“The NFC, filmmakers and stakeholders are enthusiastic and committed to ensuring that the Minister’s 2030 Destination Agenda was supported to succeed, because of its impactful focus and objectives.
“The legal framework is aimed to update and strengthen the existing legislation governing the NFC to create a conducive environment for growth and innovation.
“There’s a need for a practitioners council, which describes the establishment of a dedicated council for film professionals, aiming to foster collaboration, mentorship, and skill development and also international collaborations that the we plan to form more co-production agreements with international partners, to facilitate the exchange of talent, resources, and expertise,” he stressed.
The National Film Institute (NFI), in addition to the Master Degree Programme in Film Culture & Archiving Studies, has continued to provide training and capacity building for Nigeria in the field of film and television production, including the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills for youths across the country’s geopolitical zones through its mobile audiovisual training platform.
The National Film Video and Sound Archive (NFVSA), which was recently named the country’s repository for audio-visual legacy, has also made progress, according to Maduekwe.