California-based Focus Features, a division of NBC Universal, announced that it is launching an African film making program. The Africa First Program, spearheaded by producer Kisha Imani Cameron, will award 5 African filmmakers $10,000 in financing for post or production work on a narrative short that makes use of local African film industry resources. Filmmakers selected for the grants will retain the copyrights to their projects as well as artistic, budgetary and editorial control with support from a team at Focus. The winning filmmakers will retain global distribution rights to their shorts, excluding North America, which Focus will retain. Focus also holds the right of first negotiation to any productions derived from the shorts. Focus Features has produced and distributed award-winning films including Traffic, Gosford Park, The Pianist, Lost in Translation, The Constant Gardener, Brokeback Mountain, and Atonement. The company also produced the 2006 film Catch a Fire which was set if Apartheid-era South Africa.
via Variety
3 Replies to “Focus Features launches Africa filmmaking program”
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That’s cool. I’m biracial (African-American and white) and sadly, I have seen very little films by African filmmakers but I’d like to see more! Hopefully this will start a new trend. I’m very curious to see African stories told through African perspectives.
I am co-founder of an organization whose mission is similar. It is time audiences have the opportunity to experience the distinctly African way of story telling. I hope the project is altogether successful.