MultiChoice Talent Factory Academy Announces Class of 2020

MultiChoice Talent Factory Academy Announces Class of 2020

Tolulope Ibukunoluwa

The MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) West Africa Academy has announced the class of 2020 for a full-year, tuition free training in film and television production.

A total of 20 students from Nigeria and Ghana were chosen after a month-long process which shortlisted candidates from thousands of entries, according to a statement released by the company on Wednesday.

The MTF Academy is a 12-month fully funded training launched in May 2018 to create a pipeline of skilled and talented movie professionals that produce high quality content that resonates with African viewers.

The admission of the new students comes on the back of the graduation of the MTF West Africa Academy inaugural set in September 2019. This year’s students underwent a standard rigorous interview and adjudication process by a group of leading film and television industry experts.

The 20 new students will undergo their training at the Pan-Atlantic University in Lekki, Nigeria, where they will be provided with training and hands-on experience in the film industry, with a focus on storytelling, production, audio and directing among other key areas.

The students will also get the opportunity to learn directly from leading African and international industry experts, work on live sets of local TV productions and create original content aired on local M-Net channels across the MultiChoice platforms – DStv, GOtv and Showmax. 

Speaking on the expectations of the 2020 class, MTF Director West Africa, Femi Odugbemi, noted that the 20 aspiring filmmakers carry a lot of hope for the African continent in the quest to tell African stories that reflects the continent’s people and their progress as storytellers.

“We are very excited to welcome the Class of 2020 and to begin a new journey of discovery. We learn filmmaking by making films and that process of hands-on exposure and learning from the best industry leaders remains our path to infusing the passion of our students with creative power,” Odugbemi said.

In a meeting with the new MTF students, John Ugbe, Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, said MultiChoice remains dedicated in enhancing the skillset of professionals practicing in the African movie industry.

“MultiChoice is committed to enriching lives by improving the skills of talent in the film and television industry and the success of these students will over time, deliver a more professionalized, networked film and television industry across Africa and an expanded community of highly skilled professionals who are passionate about creating quality home-grown content,” Ugbe said.

The MTF has over the past 12 months, partnered with government, local and international film industry associations and partners to hone and sharpen the skills of emerging filmmakers and industry professionals.

It would be recalled that Pan-Atlantic University, New York Film Academy, Dolby and Universal Music Group partnered with MultiChoice to produce the pioneer graduates of the MTF Academy.

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