Kenya Film Commission Newsletter May 2008

The ICT Development Expo 2008 was held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) from 23 rd -26 th April 2008.

The expo was geared towards showcasing ICT-driven wealth creation opportunities for the informal Economy and Rural Development.

The four day event was officially opened by Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta, on 23 rd April 2008. Hon. Kenyatta expressed to the participants the importance of Kenyans gaining knowledge about ICT and how this sector is moving the country to greater heights. He also encouraged the exhibitors to be more tech savvy so as to attain internationally recognition.

On his stop over at the Commission's stand, Hon. Kenyatta noted that local content urgently requires to be supported. He lightheartedly advised the Commission to make it a point of insisting for much needed support from the Information Ministry. The Deputy Prime Minister was accompanied on his tour of the stand by Hon Samuel Poghisio, Minister for Information and Communications. Hon. Kenyatta who has been impressed with the local content he has seen so far on TV (being the likes of "Papa Shirandula"- Citizen TV) remarked to Hon. Poghisio that it was time for the local content to be at the forefront of ICT development.

Another prominent visitor to the Commission stand was Government spokesman Dr. Alfred Mutua who expressed concern about the amount of money that they have to pay to shoot a film in Kenya. He went ahead to lament that because of the taxes one has to pay to the government before shooting films; Kenya is losing its local and international clients who prefer countries that do not subject them to high taxation (e.g. South Africa). Dr. Mutua suggested that the commission lobby for the licensing and equipment taxation fee be reduced or even done away with.

The Kenya Film Commission is firmly committed towards the growth and development of ICT in Kenya.

Since it begun its operations in 2006, the Commission has actively participated in developing and supporting the local film industry; a key area in the Information sector.

The Commission's mandate is to promote the local film industry and several projects have been undertaken to fulfill this enormous task.

Capacity building programmes for young upcoming film makers have been established and in 2007, the Commission partnered with MNET Africa to send TEN young, talented film makers for training in "Nollywood", Africa's biggest film industry. The result of this two week training was three productions (short films) shot by three of the film makers upon their return from Nigeria. The Commission still expects three more productions from the same team of trainees who have made it their mission to show Kenyans that it is possible to tell the Kenyan story and shoot within a short period of time and with limited budgets.

The Commission is committed to telling the Kenyan story and hence our agenda to push for the development of local content. The country now looks to the youth to push this agenda because their zest and zeal to put Kenya on the film industry map will see more local productions being churned out.

Our commitment as a Commission will be towards young film makers wanting to make an impactful contribution towards the growth of the film industry.

During the ICT Expo, the Commission created awareness in terms of showing the public that it is possible for film makers to be part of the digital age; by use of latest equipment, practical presentation of both digital movies and analogue.

Members of the public aired their concerns about the film industry. Some of the key issues raised:

Where does one access/ purchase Kenyan movies- most visitors complained of not knowing any film distributors in Kenya. Suggestions were that the Commission should come up with a central place where the Kenyan films can be purchased by the public.
Publicity of the films - we received comments from some visitors who watched the films we were screening at the stand claiming they have never heard of the films. They credited this to failure on the part of film makers to market and publicize their films. Some suggested that producers come up with a way of advertising the films on line and on television and radio stations so that they are always kept informed.
The public were also concerned about the fact that local television stations are airing more foreign content than local content. They said the commission should push for a law that will restrict the amount of foreign content that can be aired by a Television Station. Most of them recommended the good work that the Citizen TV are doing saying that it is good to sit down and watch a programmes like "Tahidi High" or "Papa Shirandula" and be proud of it.
Some visitors pointed out that the cost of Kenyan Films is too high and yet the quality of the films is low. They were for the idea that the commission should find a way of regulating the price of the Kenyan movies.
The youth expressed concern about protecting copyrights. One of them even gave an example of already established producers stealing ideas from the youth and using them for their own benefits without the consent of the former. They expect the commission to come up with a way of ensuring that no one can 'borrow' their ideas without their knowledge.
The youth also were for the idea that the commission should find a way of funding their projects and films. They suggested that since they are hardly ever given money or even an ear by the Youth Development Fund, the commission can establish some form of a kitty for funding the young film makers. Some of the suggestions we got were for the selection process to be made competitive and transparent in order for fairness to be maintained.
Because the commission has its offices only in Nairobi, we do not reach those who are outside the city and especially those who are from the rural areas. Hence, the youth and artists from the rural areas are being sidelined and not involved in the film industry.
The commission in collaboration with the film makers should come up with an online shop for the local films. This would encourage Kenyans living abroad, foreigners and the locals to download movies at a fee and watch them at their own leisure.
There was a lot of interest in the trainings and seminars for actors, scriptwriters, directors and the general film crew. Suggestions were for the commission to hold more of such forums as they were of benefit to the film industry.

At the end of the expo, it was clear that the public are beginning to understand and appreciate the Commission's presence and they commended us for the good work done so far.

Hon.Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Minister for Information and Communication Samuel Poghisio at the Commission's stand during the opening of the 2008 ICT expo