Online Reporter
Sunday News Correspondent
As part of the ongoing MultiChoice Talent Factory initiative, two young Zimbabweans are on the road to becoming changemakers in the African film and television industry and becoming a new generation of filmmakers who further expand the industry’s horizons.
Twenty-somethings Tatenda Kombora and Anthony Chiturike are among the group of 20 students who are part of the 2025-2026 class of the Lusaka MTF Academy, which hosts and trains aspiring film operatives from across Southern Africa. Together with students from the other MTF academies in Lagos (for West Africa) and Nairobi (for East Africa), as well as at the South African academy in Johannesburg, they will transform from aspiring industry leaders to full-blown creatives who will lead the industry into a rapidly expanding future.
Gerald Ngonyamo, head of corporate affairs of MultiChoice Zimbabwe, said the pair were the latest Zimbabweans to join the MTF initiative, which has included two Zimbabweans each year since inception.
“Ten young Zimbabweans have so far graduated from the MTF programme and are already working their way through the various areas of endeavour within the industry to achieve personal success and help change the overall filmmaking landscape across Africa,” he said.
The 2025-2026 academic year started in July and sees the students being trained for the first few months through a vigorous series of online sessions, after which the students will travel to Lusaka a period of intensive college-based studies and practical training for the remaining class year.
Despite her youthfulness, Tatenda Kombora (24) has already achieved a large measure of success in her career. She was a presenter of Zimbabwean television show Young, Gifted and Talented, aged only 18, and then won a 2021 award as best blogger in the field of activism. She won an Africa24 Scholarship to further her studies in visual and contemporary production and in 2021 joined forces with the Centre for Innovation and Technology in a production called On The Throne, which focused on women and governance.
She later worked with the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development for two years, focusing on women in leadership. She was born and raised in Bulawayo and was head girl of Mpopoma High School in her final year of school.
“My ambition is to be Africa’s best documentary maker and I am certain that the MultiChoice Talent Factory, with its wealth of experience, expertise and focused training, will help me achieve that goal,” she said.
Equally ambitious is Anthony Chiturike who was born in Harare but grew up in Marondera. He holds a diploma from the Zimbabwe Film and Television School of Southern Africa, where he specialised in developing his skills in editing and cinematography. Excitement, anticipation and keenness to go further are hallmarks of his attitude towards being part of the MTF programme.
“I have a desire to create film that fuses Africa’s rich storytelling and cultural heritage with modern cinematic techniques,” he said.
“I want to create work that entertains but also makes a lasting social impact. The MTF gives me an opportunity to learn from respected industry experts and to work with creatives from all over Africa, helping me to refine my craft.
“I intend to tell African stories to a global audience, with a basis of professionalism and exceptional use of technique and technology. I am very excited to be a part of MTF and I just know that the sky is the limit for all of us who are privileged to be on this journey.”
Said Ngonyamo: “MTF is a major investment on the part of MultiChoice and the fruits of the effort are already in evidence, with the professionals streaming steadily out of these academies already marching towards huge personal success and helping the upward movement of the African film and television industry.”
