Two up-and-coming filmmakers Chimwemwe Mkwezalamba and Jonathan Kapumba will represent Malawi at the inaugural MultiChoice Africa Talent Factory.
The two will join 18 other talents from Namibia, Zambia, Mozambique, Angola and Zimbabwe in forming the southern Africa class of the inaugural venture.
Billed as the future of Africa’s film and television Industry, the factory aims at building southern African talent through theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience in cinematography, editing, audio production and storytelling, among others.
In total, 60 candidates will form the factories in South, East and West Africa.
“The candidates were chosen after a two-months long process of shortlisting from over 3 000 entries from 13 countries in Africa.
“The 20 future filmmakers chosen from Southern Africa were selected based on their industry-related qualifications and skills, as well as their passion to narrate Africa’s unique stories,” reads a statement from MultiChoice Malawi.
The MTF Academy students will be provided with skill-sets to develop their talent, connect with industry professionals and tell authentic African stories.
The statement quotes Berry Lwando, who will spearhead the Southern Africa MTF Academy hub in Zambia: “This year-long programme will adequately train and upskill young African creatives by providing them with invaluable hands-on industry experience that will give them the confidence to take on Hollywood. I hope it will show them that it’s possible to create a lucrative career in Africa’s film and television industry.”
In an interview, Mkwezalamba could not hide her excitement: ‘If you frame your world through camera angles, narrate reality like a movie script and edit the montage of your life like a film director then there is a flash forward into your future.
“I have always felt and wanted more. I needed more experience, more exposure and more understanding in film and I know it’s what MTF will bring to me and Malawi as a whole.”
Mkwezalamba is not a new name as she acted in the award-winning Bella movie before taking up a more challenging role of a director.
“I loved it so much that afterwards I decided to write and direct my own film in 2013 which ended up winning an award at the Silicon Valley African Film Festival for Best Emerging Director 2013 and at that time, I was 16 years old,” she added.
A trained journalist and cameraman, Kapumba says he will be focusing on directing of photography at the MTF.
“At the Multichoice Talent Factory, I would like to improve my skills in camera work. I want to reach that international standard as a director of photography,” he said.
MTF Academy students will produce television and film content that will be aired on our local M-Net channels across the MultiChoice platform, including Africa Magic, Zambezi Magic, M-Net and Super Sport to reach African audiences on the DStv and GOtv platforms.
