Call to establish more film training institutions in Byo

wanted the same structures that were in Harare to be built in Bulawayo, to cater for the yawning gap that already existed.
Josh Nyapimbi, of Arterial Network, said artistes in Bulawayo needed to lobby the relevant stakeholders to increase training schools for its budding and established producers in the film sector.
Another artiste, Patrick Mabhena of the Uluba Lemnyama organisation, echoed the same sentiments saying meaningful production in film in the region will only be achieved once the city fathers realised the need to invest in the infrastructure for the growth of the genre in the region.
“There are abundant talented people in the region, who can become best filmmakers and producers, not only in the country, but in the region if resources are channelled their way.
“That can only be achieved if we get as much as what other cities already have. Let’s not put all that talent to waste but let’s harness all that we have,” he said.
However, theatre guru Cont Mhlanga vehemently disagreed saying Bulawayo had enough film training institutions.
“What artistes now need is increased production capacity, in terms of creative stages, production houses and distribution outlets for the finished products.
“Bulawayo has got enough training institutions in film production that can give one a solid foundation to venture into film.
“What we, however, now need is a deliberate policy to increase production capacity for television.
“At the moment, we have too few productions and too far apart.
That anomaly can be addressed if we work on increasing the creative stage, production capacity, distribution outlets as well as increasing finance,” he said.
Mhlanga added that there was no need to increase film training centres, without addressing the grey areas within the sector that are purely of an administrative nature, and cannot be misconstrued to mean something else.
“Increasing film institutions is a cliché that people talk about when they are not clear on how they can unlock content in a production process.
“If people understand that they will already know that they have got enough film training institutions in the region,” he said.
Currently, there are more than five institutions that training aspirants in film production, namely Amakhosi Cultural Centre, Lupane State University, National University of Science and Technology, Business Express and the Priscilla Sithole-Ibhayisikopo Film Project Centre.
Between 30 and 40 students are being trained in film production in these institutions and yet there is little content that is coming out.
In the last three years, Bulawayo has only produced a handful of local dramas and feature films such as “Yizo Yizo” and “Amakhorokoza”, which featured the likes of Sarah Mpofu aka Tasho and Precious Makulumo, who played the role of Ntokozo.