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Senior Arts Reporter
Organisers of the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) have said the deadline for applications for its sought-after film and television training programme is June 30.
That means local content creators have nine days to submit so that they join other creatives across Africa.
The Pan-African initiative, which is searching for 60 aspiring film and television creatives to be part of the Class of 2022, is now in its third year.
The call is open to all emerging filmmakers with either some industry experience or a relevant post-school qualification in film to apply for this exciting opportunity to hone their television and film production skills.
“The MTF Academy is our commitment to the future of our industry and gives young Africans the chance to hone their television and film production skills through a world-class training programme. After two successful years,we’re proud to announce a new call to entry and look forward to meeting the next generation of African filmmakers,” said MultiChoice Group CEO of General Entertainment and Connected Video, Yolisa Phahle.
Launched in May 2018, the MTF Academy has so far given 120 students the chance to harness their expertise in film and television, moulding them into skilled industry professionals. The Class of 2020 set a precedent as the first cohort of students to work during a pandemic.
As a result, the programme was extended from 12 to 18 months.
This additional time allowed the students to graduate with two qualifications as opposed to one. Despite adapting to the Covid-19 restrictions, the Class of 2020 had other opportunities to shine: they were active participants during the virtual MTF Masterclass sessions and worked on the global Pledge to Pause PSAs for the United Nations Verified campaign.
They also got to make short films in their home countries which launched as part of the ‘Colours of Africa’ series airing on Showmax and M-Net Afro Cinema pop-up channel as part of the Africa Month campaign in May. Like previous years, all 60 students alongside select members of the public will get to participate in the MTF Masterclasses, which are powered by various industry partners including Dolby, CBS Justice and Jasco Broadcast Solutions offering AVID software masterclasses to name a few.
The illustrious New York Film Academy of Visual and Performing Arts (NYFA) continues its commitment as an MTF Masterclasses partner and to award its annual 8 weeks NYFA Scholarship at the Academy in New York to the top performing student from each region. “The Covid-19 pandemic was undoubtedly a difficult challenge both for all involved in keeping the MTF Academy programme going as well as the students. The unwavering support from stakeholders, partners and students has nevertheless been overwhelming. We couldn’t be more excited to have reached our third year as one of the MultiChoice Group’s anchor shared value initiatives directly investing in the next generation of African storytellers,” added Cheryl Uys-Allie, Director of the MultiChoice Talent Factory initiative.
Online Reporter