Kunle Afolayan Production (KAP) Film and Television Academy is set to graduate its first set of trainees and certified affiliates of the prestigious School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) at University of Southern California (USC).

The KAP Academy, in partnership with USC and Netflix, has executed the post-production programme, the first in a series of training workshops in Africa. Scheduled for Monday, May 23, 2022 at KAP Hub, Ikeja, Lagos, the occasion will have distinguished scholar, Prof. Duro Oni as chairman while award-winning writer, producer/director and photographer, Femi Odugbemi will deliver the keynote address. Also expected at the event are former DG of National Theatre, Prof. Ahmed Yerima and chairman, Audio-Visual Rights Society of Nigeria, Mahmoud Ali-Balogun among other industry stakeholders.

The 10-week course had world-renowned facilitators like Douglas Blush, Stephen Flick and Richard Burton from School of Cinematic Arts at University of Southern California. The Academy has imparted in the trainees the required knowledge and skills for the new forms of post-production techniques, including picture cropping, editing and sound design.

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According to Afolayan, “It has been amazing working with the Netflix team to produce dynamic Nigerian films, and it will only get better now that we are partnering with Netflix and USC to train the newest crop of post-production experts. These editors and sound designers will go on to craft Nigerian stories on a world-class level.”

On his part, Allison Triegaardt, Netflix Grow Creative Manager for Africa, says, “Africa is a hugely important region for Netflix, and as we grow, the number of productions is important for African stories to be able to meet the growing demand for quality storytelling. Our Grow Creative partnerships like the one with USC and KAP in Nigeria will help bridge the skills gap, upskill experienced crew and improve diversity head-on. This will also ensure an even stronger diversity of voices, stories, and points of view for our global audience.”

Director of International Programmes for the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Rachel Gandin Mark, says, “For over 90 years, the USC School of Cinematic Arts has trained Hollywood’s top picture and sound editors. Now, thanks to this exciting partnership with Netflix and Kunle Afolayan’s KAP Academy in Lagos, our world-class and award-winning faculty, Douglas Blush, Stephen Flick and Richard Burton will bring their expertise in helping to train the next generation of Nigerian cinematic storytellers.”