MultiChoice Talent Factory: We Have Developed Skills To Carry African Stories Across The Globe, Says Academy Director
The Academy Director of MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) West Africa, Atinuke Babatunde, has said that MFT has developed skills to carry African stories across the globe.
Babatunde revealed this in a statement made available to journalists at the graduation of 2023/2024 students of the Academy (MTFza) recently.
She described the MTF Academy West Africa as one of the three academies across the continent, dedicated to developing the African film and television industry by training professionals in diverse areas.
In her words, “The MTF develops skills networks that carry African stories across continents into people’s lives worldwide and is committed to creating, and curating premium and authentic content for diverse audiences, right across Africa.
“Each year, 60 talented individuals from across 13 countries are selected for a comprehensive 12-month academic programme, including theory and hands-on experience in cinematography, editing, audio production, and storytelling.
“In addition to Lagos Academy, a year-long fully sponsored programme also takes place at regional MTF academies in Nairobi (Kenya) and Lusaka (Zambia), which partner with respected local tertiary educational institutions for course development. Furthermore, MTF provides a robust distribution network needed to impact people’s lives by relieving pressure on sourcing distribution platforms.”
She explained that the MTF’s vision is to shape the next phase of Africa’s development and equip the continent’s young people with the skills to tell their stories.
The academy director noted that since MTF was established in 2018, the academy has had over 300 graduates, and 70 per cent of the graduates have utilised the skills acquired during their time at the academy to secure employment or become entrepreneurs.
According to her, the fully funded experiential and training programme is designed to upgrade the skills of young Africans in film and television, allowing them to compete on a global stage.
Babatunde stated, “Upskilling is important for us in terms of industry growth. The academy supports industry development in three ways: training students as filmmakers, master classes with industry experts and industry integration.”