Regional Head of Corporate Affairs for MultiChoice Africa Holdings (Southern Africa) Sellina Nyirenda said yesterday that they were building blocks with the Multichoice Talent Factory (MTF), now in its fifth cohort.
Nyirenda, who is from Zambia and is based in Lusaka, said MTF is revolutionising the industry by training young filmmakers; creating paths to professional careers in the film and TV sector as well as empowering African professionals to create relevant content for African audiences.
“We have recorded so many success stories. The alumni are doing a great work and taking creativity to the next level to tell African stories and craft authentic films,” Nyirenda said.
She said the new cohort that includes two representatives from Malawi just came to Lusaka and that they are set to start their 12-month training.
“We are proud with the paces Malawi has made to this end; we have alumnus Brian Magombo, who will be going to New York Film Academy in United States of America (USA) later this year. He graduated with flying colours and was awarded an eight-week internship at New York Film Academy.
“For us, this is huge because we are introducing a young talented African to come to Malawi, learn from the best in the industry and then come and apply the knowledge in Malawi,” Nyirenda said.
Magombo and Sarah Mngwaluko, who graduated from MTF in November last year, said they learned a lot from the programme from industry experts from South Africa, USA and Zambia.
“I specialised in sound and production design and, on top of that, I got to work on two short films and two feature films that will come out very soon. These skills are for Malawi, and I am ready to share them,” she said.
Magombo, who is relishing the trip to USA, said he learnt more in a year.
“It was not just theory but also practical. I was privileged to be the director of two films we worked on and director of photography in the other two films. We also had time to work on some of the biggest shows such as Mpali and Zuba,” he said.
