by Michael Dibie | Abuja
Film makers in Nigerian have called on young creative minds in the country to adopt the act of film making for economic growth. The film makers made the call at the maiden addition of Gladew international short film festival held in Abuja with the theme” The orange economy harnessing creativity and technology for the economic growth.
The two-day training event oganised by the CEO of Gladew international short film festival, Gloria Ugochi Ugolee-Ehiosun and sponsored by Fidelity Bank was an avenue for all bold creative filmmakers to showcase their talent and push boundaries in short films, short documentaries, and contents to win training, grant or mentorship on their next project. The training included master classes by industry experts, film pitches, screenings and practical training on film making.
According to Gloria, Film is a tool to change the way people think, hence the dive into impact film making to train other people to make such film.
“I teach young people in schools and also women and youths and these are my priorities, I teach them to make entertaining impact films, so these films are not just boring but impactful and entertaining to help them change the way they reason about things, I teaching them because they are the ones that need empowerment the most, so they can have a long-life skill they can use not just in the comfort of their home but on the global market,” she added.
She also reiterated that she is not just interested in women empowerment but to give women the skill for them to become employer of labour so they can make and direct movies. She said she is focusing on youths because they are the largest in population and have talent which are not being harnessed because of the economic situation. So, the need to turn to the youths to encourage them to help them to be self-reliant and not depending on the government.
“You can learn how to make a one-minute film with your phone and post it and make money or your one-minute film to reach out to investors and get millions of dollars to make the next film, that is an opportunity I leant in school for 8 years
She pointed out that some policies in Nigeria are discouraging and an impediment to film makes in the country and calls on the government to address such policies and offer grants for result-oriented film making.
Industry expert and film maker, Bright wonder Obasi, while addressing the challenge of funds in film making in Nigeria said there are many ways of raising funds for film making, he urged film producers especially young ones to minimize the funds they spend in their early carrier in the industry.
“Always negotiate for the things you need for your film production, bring down the budget for your films”
Another Film maker and director, Daniel Aboki said upcoming film makers should concentrate first on making short films on low budget. “Short films help you to network with the industry and brings you in into the industry, always use the back door to enter the” Industry and that is “short films”. He added that making a short film is not so difficult but the surest way to get into the market, according to him, film making is not a destination but a journey.
