Sixty students from across 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa - excluding South Africa where M-Net is running its 4-year old Magic in Motion Academy that the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) is based on - are getting the opportunity of a yearlong internship in film and TV production.
Out of over 3 100 applications, 20 students were chosen for each of the three new film academies.
Thursday night's official ribbon cutting and opening event attracted media, TV producers, artists, singers, government and broadcast regulatory officials, as well as MultiChoice Africa executives from across Southern Africa.
It took place at the Zambia Institute of Mass Communication (ZAMCOM) in Lusaka, an independent media training trust, where the Southern African MultiChoice Talent Factory is located in a recently refurbished section of the ZAMCOM building equipped with new technology, lecture and study rooms, as well as a green screen studio/lecture room.
Students at each of the three film academies will create local content that will be broadcast on the various M-Net channels carried on MultiChoice's DStv and GOtv satellite pay-TV platforms throughout Africa, including Africa Magic, Maisha Magic East, Maisha Magic Bongo, Zambezi Magic, Pearl Magic, M-Net and SuperSport.
Each of the three academies will be overseen by an Academy Director who are experts in film and TV: Njoko Muhoho in Nairobi, Femi Odugbemi in Lagos and Berry Lwando in Lusaka.
Dora Siliya, Zambia's minister of information and broadcasting services and chief Zambian government spokesperson who did the ribbon-cutting and who was the keynote speaker at the event, applauded MultiChoice for "taking a chance with the young people in the region".
"I want to call on the private sector and reiterate that the magic in the film sector in other countries is a result of the private sector such as banks and others taking a chance on the film industry," Dora Siliya said.
"We are not going to turn our stories if we are going to wait for financial support from overseas. We can only tell our stories if the private sector in our countries in the region takes a chance on these young people and most of all the film industry as a whole."
Berry Lwando, Southern Africa MultiChoice Talent Factory academy director, said that the MultiChoice Talent Factory "is committed to empowering young filmmakers and enriching the video broadcasting industry, and the academy is our key to doing this and addressing the numerous gaps across the region".
"We believe that given an opportunity, an empowered new generation of filmmakers and TV professionals will rise to take their place at the forefront of local creative industries, producing the very best of local African content for our customers".
Prof. Nkandu Luo, Zambia's minister of higher education, said "we must celebrate the fact that Zambia has been chosen as the hub for Southern Africa".
"As we move on with this training programme, we will be able to realign the training, so that Africa will be celebrating a team of professionals who will propel the film and television industry".
Nyiko Shiburi, MultiChoice Africa's regional director for Southern Africa, said "Our DStv and GOtv mission is to ensure that our customers continue to not miss out on the biggest sporting events and experiences alongside powerful local stories, riveting movies and news of the moments that shape our world".
"For MultiChoice, there is a plethora of instances that show our dedication to local and relatable content. Through our channels, MultiChoice has made extensive investments in the development of original programming in the Southern Africa region."
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