The joint collaborative partnership film event of the country and Nigeria’s foremost film festival – Zuma Film Festival, was one of the major highlights of the briefs presented to the Minister for Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa by the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) in Abuja.
In a statement released by the director of public affairs of NFC, Brian Etuk, NFC’s managing director/chief executive, Dr Chidia Maduekwe explained that for Zuma film festival to truly reflect the creative ingenuity of Nigeria, NFC had achieved a 10-year hosting partnership with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in 2021, through a Memorandum of Understanding which also designated Abuja as the official host city.
Dr Maduekwe informed the Minister that it was trite for Abuja to be named the official host city for the film festival in line with best global practices. He cited the cities of Cannes, Toronto, Durban and several others as examples.
The NFC also presented a catalogue of film industry challenges that have slowed down the development process and growth rate of the film industry, particularly the laws, including the obsolete NFC Act of 1979, which has never undergone any single amendment in the last 44 years, and other legal frameworks for the Motion Picture Practitioners Council (MOPICON).
Dr Maduekwe appealed to the Minister to revisit some key film industry policies that have the capabilities of enhancing the sector to sustain its contributions to content creation, effective film distribution and exhibition, training and capacity building, and the establishment of the National Film Development Fund (NFDF).
He also said that NFC, filmmakers and stakeholders were enthusiastic and committed to ensuring that the Minister’s 2030 Destination Agenda was supported to succeed, because of its impactful focus and objectives.
The National Film Institute (NFI), Jos, according to Dr Maduekwe, has continued to provide training and capacity building for Nigeria in film and television production, including entrepreneurial skills acquisition for youths across the geopolitical zones of the country.
This he explained has been achieved through its Mobile Audiovisual Training Platform, aside from the Master Degree Programme in Film Culture and Archiving Studies. The progress at the National Film Video & Sound Archive (NFVSA) recently designated the national repository for audio-visual heritage, was also brought into focus.
Earlier, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa commended the NFC for its various achievements in spite of its obsolete law. She acknowledged the critical role the film industry does and can continue to play in growing the nation’s economy and assured that the government was determined to ensure an effective and efficient film industry.
