Filmmakers put a strong case for State funding to create jobs
FRIDAY
OCTOBER 14 2016
KPMG director Wambui
Chege addresses the film summit on October 13, 2016. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA
By JAMES NGUNJIRI
Film-makers
are pushing for State financial support citing success stories elsewhere in
Africa and the sector’s immense potential for GDP contribution.
The
industry is estimated to contribute approximately Sh7 billion ($70 million) to
Kenya’s GDP, a two-day Africa Film Finance Summit in Nairobi was told on Thursday.
Out of
this, Sh2.3 billion ($22.5 million) comes from the Riverwood production that is
essentially the informal side of the industry.
Speakers
at the summit said the industry has a huge growth potential and should be
regarded as a catalyst for both direct and indirect employment in different
sectors of the economy.
Pan-African
Federation of Filmmakers adviser Ndiritu Muriithi said the government ought to
look at what is happening in countries like South Africa to support the sector.
South
Africa’s department of trade and industry offers specific fiscal incentives to
encourage local content generation as well as attract international
productions.
“Every
econometric study has shown that this sector can create 100,000 jobs. Right
now, it is about 10,000 jobs, but it can go to around 100,000 jobs within a
very short time of about two to three years,” he said.
Unesco’s
definition of the creative economy includes performing arts, festivals, visual
arts, film, television, radio, video, photography and interactive media.
Mr
Muriithi welcomed the move by the government to push broadcasters to increase
local content to 40 per cent this year and to 60 per cent by 2018.
“Assuming
this translates to 4.8 hours a day (40 per cent of 12 hours), the total
purchase per station is approximately $27,000 (Sh2.7 million). If the minimum
40 per cent local content rule is replicated across the continent, the audio
visual entrepreneurs would earn $3.89 billion (Sh389 million),” he added.
Accurate statistics
He said
the national and Pan-African cultural organisations must work closely with
national bureaus of statistics to capture, collate and analyse data on cultural
and creative industries.
“In
addition, they should commission or cause to be commissioned baseline surveys
on the economic and social impact of the creative economy,” he told the forum.
A
senior technology adviser at African Media Initiative Meredith Beal said by
2020, 90 per cent of all IP data traffic will be video, 60 per cent of it
Internet video.
“There
will be 50 billion connected devices, 15 billion video-enabled devices
connected to broadband IP. As Wi-Fi becomes ubiquitous, more and more video
content will be consumed. On-demand TV/video content will surpass live/linear
broadcasts,” said Mr Beal.
More
than 200 delegates drawn from Africa’s film industry, channel owners and
financial sector are attending the event to discuss ways of promoting and
accelerating development of the film and audio visual sector in Africa through
commercial funding.
The
finance summit is offering a platform for financial institutions, film-makers,
entrepreneurs and regulators to learn from peers on what it takes to fund the
sector.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(
Atom
)
No comments :
Post a Comment