Southern Africa’s next generation of film & TV creators: MultiChoice Talent Factory welcomes Class of 2024

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New students begin fully funded 12-month training programme

By Derrick Sinjela and Simon Banda

LUSAKA, 22 February 2024 – A fresh cohort of 20 passionate young filmmakers has begun an exciting year of film and television training at the MultiChoice Talent Factory Southern Africa Academy in Lusaka.

The MTF Southern Africa Academy is one of three on the continent, where students spend 12 months gaining skills in screenwriting, editing, producing and directing – through study, and practical experience on TV and film productions. The fully funded curriculum includes workshops, lectures, masterclasses and assignments.

MTF students learn alongside industry greats and seasoned professionals from across the globe. The final stage of the course sees students developing feature films for broadcast on MultiChoice local channels and Showmax. The most recent MTF Academy cohort also enjoyed an intensive online training course with the New York Film Academy (NYFA).

In Southern Africa, the MTF Academy curriculum is created with MultiChoice Africa partner institution the University of Zambia, which confers the course qualifications upon completion of the academy programme.

This year’s students were chosen after a rigorous six-week selection process of interviews and adjudication by film and television experts, as well as regional academy directors.

At the MTF Southern Africa Academy, 55% of students in this year’s intake are male and 45% are female – coming from Zambia, Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi, Botswana, Angola and Zimbabwe.

Since its establishment in 2018, the Africa-wide MTF Academy programme has produced more than 300 graduates, qualified young filmmakers who are now taking African stories to the world.

“In the African film and television space, there is a risk that local productions could be crowded out by high quality, foreign-produced films and series,” says MTF Southern Africa Director Christopher Puta. “Fortunately, MultiChoice has ensured this does not happen, by investing in developing local skills through our well-equipped MTF Academies. Even before they graduate, these students will be involved in creating relevant content that reflects the lives and the tastes of African people.”

The training that the MTF Academy provides is geared to broadening the skillsets of aspirant filmmakers, and to empowering them to work in various creative disciplines – not only the film industry. An MTF survey has found that around 92% of MTF Academy graduates go on to work in the creative sector.

“Once they leave our Academy, many MTF graduates go on to work on MultiChoice productions, or with other broadcasters in the region,” says Puta. “Other graduates start businesses and become our partners and suppliers in the industry. MTF is about developing the skills to support a vibrant, collaborative industry environment.”

Last year, the MTF Academy Southern Africa graduated a talented cohort of passionate and skilled young creatives, many of whom joined local productions with the Zambia National Film Commission (ZNFC), as well as pan-African film and televisions productions including Mpali, Zuba, Ten Tamanga Street, Makofi and My Horror Love Story Zambia. And have also worked on feature films produced in Namibia that premiered on Showmax and other local channels in Portuguese-speaking markets such as Kwenda Magic and Maningue Magic.

“The MTF Southern Africa class will support the MultiChoice vision of producing hyperlocal content for local markets,” says Puta. “We’ve seen how audiences react to content made by other Africans, and we look forward to seeing the work produced by this year’s group of MTF students.”

ENDS