As Africa’s film and creative industry continues to experience tremendous growth, MultiChoice, Africa’s most loved storyteller, remains committed to the growth of creatives and filmmakers across the continent. Busola Tejumola, executive head, Content and West Africa Channels, reaffirmed this commitment during the MultiChoice Showcase with African Filmmakers at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF).
Tejumola stated that for 18 years, MultiChoice through the seven Africa Magic channels has given African storytellers the platform to thrive and shape the African narrative by telling stories of the past, present and future. She also added that MultiChoice has invested over $428 million developing local creative talent and is always open to new ideas and projects, while encouraging creatives to send in their works to the MultiChoice submission portal.
“Local content is at the heart of our production at MultiChoice. We create content that tells stories that are timely and fit into the current realities of the society. We create our own original content with our locally sourced production crew and infrastructure, investing heavily in the future of Nigeria and Nigerians. We are also always open to strategic collaborations hence why we encourage creatives to pitch their content,” said Tejumola.
Her presentation was followed by a panel session where she was joined by James Omokw, film director; Femi Odugbemi, filmmaker and pioneer Academy Director, MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF); MTF alumnus, Moses Akerele and Ijeoma Aniebo, an actress, who served as the moderator. The panelists shared how MultiChoice has been instrumental to their growth trajectory from giving them training opportunities both within and outside Nigeria to commissioning stories like Battleground, Riona, Ajoche among many others.
Read also: 76 set for global release, courtesy of FilmOne Entertainment
While speaking at the panel session, Tejumola reiterated “MultiChoice is always looking to discover, support and reward talent doing amazing work as evident in the establishment of the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) and the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCAs)”.
While the MTF trains young and aspiring filmmakers in the art and business of filmmaking, the AMVCA recognizes and rewards outstanding achievements in television and film annually. “Content creators can rest assured of our continuous support and reward for their craft. We are thankful to the organizers of AFRIFF for celebrating content creators for the past 10 years.” Busola concluded.
L – R: Ijeoma Aniebo, actress; Femi Odugbemi, filmmaker and pioneer Academy Director, MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF); James Omokwe, film director; Busola Tejumola, executive head of content and West Africa Channels, MultiChoice, and MTF alumnus, Moses Akerele, at the MultiChoice Showcase with African Filmmakers at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) held on November 10, 2021, at Landmark Retail Boulevard, Victoria Island, Lagos.
