Ghana’s National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI), the oldest television film and television in Africa is set to witness a major capital injection.
It follows government’s decision to invest a whopping €45million to help revitalise the institute.
President Akufo-Addo made the announcement yesterday when he launched the Presidential Film Pitch Series under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the National Film Authority (NFA).
The Presidential Film Pitch Series is a film activation programme aimed at creating the platform for Ghanaian film makers with projects within the country’s ecosystem to engage investors, broadcasters, distributors, sponsors and platforms around the world for potential collaborations, sponsorships, investments, sales and advertising opportunities.
One hundred projects in the form of documentaries, feature films, short films, series, games, film infrastructure were received by the National Film Authority from Ghana film entrepreneurs, out of which 25 projects have been shortlisted and the goal is for each shortlisted project to close deals that will bring it to fruition.
President Akufo-Addo therefore tasked the National Film Authority to lead the charge in introducing business development modules in film making, production and distribution in order to help create a vibrant market for local film production.
He said the government has decided to retool the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) to enable it provide the needed training for players in the industry in its quest to make Ghana attractive to international film productions as well as make the country the hub for film training in the West African sub region.
The school is also introducing specialised courses in script writing as well as the business of film.
This means that Ghana will now have graduates with specialty in script writing to feed the film sector and help build the needed structures for a vibrant film ecosystem.
NAFTI is also set to issue its own degrees as part of the University of Media Arts.
A Creative Arts Senior High School which is being constructed in Kwadaso in the Ashanti Region is said to be nearing completion to help open up the creative process at the secondary school level and the President said that “the Creative Arts Senior High School will also help prepare students who desire to further their education at NAFTI thereby creating a stream of creative talents.”
He said “creativity is essential in all aspects of nation building” and that “many of the things that define a nation are its arts, culture, customs and traditions.”
He touted Ghana’s credentials as the safest place in West Africa and the third most peaceful country on the continent, adding that the enviable position has great marketing and promotional ramifications for the development of sustainability of the Ghanaian film industry.
He encouraged local film producers to show more creativity and innovation in their productions to make Ghanaian films, not only popular in the country, but also capable of satisfying international audience.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu