MultiChoice has received the third set of young film creatives comprising the Class of 2022 to the MTF West Africa Academy.

After a six-week selection process, 20 aspiring filmmakers representing Nigeria and Ghana will begin their 12-month training programme in October at the MTF Academy in Lagos.

The final candidates were selected after a rigorous interview process by the judging panel, which consisted of film and television experts including representatives of the Directors’ Guild of Nigeria (DGN). On the judging panel were pioneer MTF Academy Director, Mr Femi Odugbemi, Film Director and representative of the DGN, Mr Lancelot Imasuen, Film Director and Producer, Ms. Tope Oshin, Film Director, Mr James Omokwe and Director and representative of the DGN, Mrs Patricia Oghre Imobhio. The Class of 2021 in partnership with the New York Film Academy (NYFA) benefited from an intensive three-week online training which will now be part of the MTF curriculum to train the new cohort to produce micro documentaries, public service announcements, television commercials and music videos. The goal of the training will be to broaden their skillset and allow them to be economically active in various sectors, other than the film industry.

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Speaking on a survey carried out to ascertain how MTF academies are igniting Africa’s creative industries and the findings which revealed 92% of the inaugural class of 2019 are economically active in the industry, CEO MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe, stated that the programme is what the industry needs and why MTF was founded.

“As Africa’s most loved storyteller, our commitment is not only to tell authentic African stories but to also invest in them. This is why some of our alumni are working on M-Net and Showmax productions. They are helping us realise the vision of taking African stories to the world with a “hyperlocal” approach, producing relevant content within the respective regions of our continent, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all strategy,” says Ugbe.

The academy’s curriculum is tailored in partnership with the Pan-Atlantic University in Lagos, which will confer the course qualification upon completion of the academy programme. In addition, The Henley Business School offers an orientation intervention to the students at the beginning and end of the 12-month programme as well as workshops on Business for Creatives focusing on entrepreneurship.