MultiChoice Talent Factory Academy West Africa 2 kicks off

Hot on the heels of the graduating class of 2019, the MultiChoice Talent Factory Academy in Lagos, is buzzing with excitement as the class of 2020 sit for their first day in class.

The 20 students from Nigeria and Ghana were chosen after a month-long process which shortlisted candidates from thousands of entries.

This year’s applicants were put through the standard rigorous interview and adjudication process by a group of leading film and television industry experts and the West African Academy Director and represent the very best in young talent from across West Africa.

The 20 new students start the academic year with an orientation programme in partnership with Pan-Atlantic University in Nigeria. This academic partner has been onboard since the academies first opened their doors in October 2018 as part of MultiChoice ground-breaking corporate shared value (CSV) initiative, the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) aimed at igniting Africa’s creative industries through TV and filmmaking.

The second intake of students from Nigeria and Ghana (West African region) will be provided with training and hands-on experience in the film industry, with a focus on storytelling, production, audio and directing among other key areas. The curriculum offers students the opportunity to learn directly from leading African and international industry experts, work on live sets of local TV productions and create original content aired on local M-Net channels across the MultiChoice platforms – DStv, GOtv and Showmax.

READ: South African university offers courses in Nigeria

The MTF Director West Africa, Mr. Femi Odugbemi noted that the 20 aspiring filmmakers carry a lot of hope for the African continent in our quest to tell our stories that reflect who we are and how far we’ve come as storytellers.

Odugbemi attests to this “We are very excited to welcome the Class of 2020 and to begin a new journey of discovery. We learn filmmaking by making films and that process of hands-on exposure and learning from the best industry leaders remains our path to infusing the passion of our students with creative power.”

Speaking during a formal meeting with the new MTF students, John Ugbe, Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria said “MultiChoice is committed to enriching lives by improving the skills of talent in the film and television industry and the success of these students will over time, deliver a more professionalized, networked film and television industry across Africa and an expanded community of highly skilled professionals who are passionate about creating quality home-grown content,”

It would be recalled that Pan-Atlantic University, New York Film Academy, Dolby and Universal Music Group partnered with MultiChoice to produce the pioneer graduates of the MTF project last month.

The MTF has over the past 12 months, partnered with government, local and international film industry associations and partners to hone and sharpen the skills of emerging filmmakers and industry professionals.