Partnership for 24-hour streaming
Promoting development of African content
THE Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) has pulled all stops to promote the arts in the province through a partnership set to create more opportunities for young creatives.
GFC has partnered with THD24. com of South Africa to bring a 24-hour streaming service, to train and stream local content produced by residents of Gauteng.
The service will be launching tomorrow. It features a couple of talented personalities, including Mbali Enhle Maphumulo and Robbie Malinga Junior.
Arts and Culture Portfolio chairperson William Matsheke lauded the initiative as a first of its kind collaboration between GFC and the streaming site.
Matsheke said the project aims to not only open job opportunities for upcoming film producers, but to also empower unemployed film graduates from universities and film schools.
“The initiative will help keep the youth from the streets. It will give opportunities to those with talents and help them get recognition in the film industry. It will also give a platform to upcoming film producers, to showcase and put their work on the market,” he said.
TH24.com, owned by entrepreneur and radio personality Thabo “Tbo Touch” Molefe, focuses on developing the hottest local content tailored for Africa.
GFC, through a statement, said the first phase of operations would incubate 100 unemployed youth and film entrepreneurs that THD24 will employ at its Sandton and Bryanston studios.
“The incubation period will give them work experience and up-to-date skills on directing, scriptwriting, content developing, photography, videography and acting.
The content will be produced by locals in English and all the South African languages,” read the statement.
Star digital media pioneer “Tbo Touch” said it was important for South Africans, and the entire continent, to create and watch something they could relate to.
“If you don’t know people in indigenous film, it’s very rare your movie will get to the cinema. We, therefore, created the platform to break the chain of a system that doesn’t allow local black filmmakers to thrive and let them watch something they resonate with,” he said.
Molefe, who also owns digital radio Touch HD, said: “The streaming site will produce the finest South African multimedia and film content on demand. This collaboration (between GFC and TH24.com) will make Gauteng the central hub for training, production and streaming of quality black-owned, local content.”
He added that it was high time the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) dealt with the high cost of data in the country, for people to be able to access the platform.
“We introduced the initiative keeping in my mind the issue of data. We cannot stop bringing great initiatives because of some negativity. We can’t stop manufacturing cars because the petrol price is expensive. Same thing with this initiative… we need to be steps ahead. Data will fall at some point but we cannot start being creative then,” said Molefe.