MultiChoice Talent Factory: Unlocking The Potential Of Africa’s Film Industry
ensure the safety of the students, MultiChoice temporarily closed the academies across Africa. This pandemic though sad, provided an opportunity for the students to practice what they had been taught as 20 of them each shot and edited three-minute films with their mobile phones. The short films, dubbed “Isolation Diaries”, portrayed their fears, hopes and the realities of living in COVID times and is hosted on the MTF portal – www.multichoicetalentfactory.com. This would mark the beginning of their contribution to shaping Africa’s narrative as in conjunction with their colleagues from East and Southern Africa, they went on to produce seven public service announcements (PSAs) for the United Nations’ Pause Campaign. The PSAs were targeted at combating the COVID-19 misinformation that was rife in Africa and utilized the power of humour and local slangs to effectively pass on the message. The PSAs are still airing to date.
As a brand born in Africa, MTF Africa Month is a big deal as it is dedicated to celebrating Africans and people of African descent all over the world. To commemorate the month, the Class of 2020 from the East, West and Southern titled Colours of Africa focused on connecting generations through storytelling and aired on DStv, GOtv and Showmax. In an impact report carried out to assess how the Alumni of the MTF have fared over the years, it showed the following:
• Alumni collaborations that led to the setup of 12 production companies
• Produced over 250 content including series, movies, short films, documentaries, music videos and commercials among others. Examples are Elenini, a 120-episode Yoruba drama series which aired on Africa Magic, documentaries like Sunset at Makoko produced by Allen Onyige and King of Highlife by Metong Minwon among others
• Pan-African collaboration with filmmakers through the MTF portal
• Upskilling of over 2000 film professionals across Africa through the MTF MasterClass
Through the MultiChoice Talent Factory, Africa’s creative industry has been ignited and the ripple effects will be felt for a very long time to come. For more information on the MultiChoice Talent Factory visit www.multichoicetalentfactory.com .