The Kenyan government has assured content creators of a continued commitment to supporting the film industry through relevant agencies to boost the Kenyan creative sector amid the rapid digital transformation.
This was made known by the Ministry of Information, Technology and Information Chief Administration Secretary (CAS) Maureen Mbaka at the opening of the 5th edition of the Kalasha Film and TV Market, hosted by the Kenya Film Commission (KFC) at Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), Nairobi.
“Young people are seeing opportunities in these areas and of course, we do recognise that the industry has seen change in the last few years with the onset of the digital era and the coronavirus pandemic, there is this move to use the digital space,” said Mbaka.
Mbaka challenged stakeholders in Kenya’s film industry to tap the benefits through a series of actions including reviewing policies in place to address major challenges hindering the growth of the billion-shilling creative sector.
“Reviewing the laws that are in place right now, recognising that with all these changes the legislation should also reflect this. So we are going to have a law that is up to date to create a space that allows various actors in the sector to thrive.”
Ministry of ICT has already set stage to create universal access to digital Infrastructure across the country to enable youth to benefit from the digital space.
According to the CAS, this will create and upscale the consumption level of local content on the Kenyan media landscape.
KFC festival will for the next three days showcase filming activities and offer a high-level interaction through conferences, workshops, business-to-business opportunities and pitching sessions.
“As KFC, we are committed to ensure that Kenya is a global hub for Film Production. Our mandate is to develop, promote and market the film industry locally and internationally as a filming destination, promoting local content and identifying and facilitating the growth of the film industry. Hosting the annual Kalasha International Film Market is one of the ways we have achieved this”, said KFC boss Timothy Owase.
The three-day trade fair has attracted over 100 regional and international experts and exhibitors in the film business.
The trade fair offers a unique platform for regional and international players and festival goers from the TV & Film industry to gather, exchange ideas, collaborate, share stories and develop new business opportunities.
An average of 100 foreign films or commercial shoots take place every year in Kenya. This has established Kenya as an international filming destination and created employment opportunities for local filmmakers.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics 2019 economic survey, the Kenyan film industry directly employed 129,824 people in 2019, or about 4.5 percent of the country’s total employed workforce.
In 2019, the Kenyan film and audiovisual sector contributed an estimated Ksh.12.9 billion to the country’s Ksh.11.1 trillion Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to a report on The African Film Industry released by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
