DAR FILM FESTIVAL SET TO TAKE OFF SEPTEMBER 24

HAAK NEEL PRODUCTION COMPANY IN COLLABORATION WITH A NETWORK OF INFORMATION FILM HAS ORGANISED A DAR FILM FESTIVAL (DFF) AIMED AT ENABLING MANY TANZANIANS TO PARTICIPATE IN SWAHILI MOVIES.

Coordinator Staford Kihore said in Dar es Salaam on Monday that the festival will motivate Tanzanians to watch Swahili films. The festival will be held in Dar es Salaam from September 24 to 26 this year and Swahili films will be screened to improve Kiswahili language and introduce them as important products in the country.

“This is the first festival and we intent to screen Tanzania Swahili films only. In the second festival we will include other Swahili movie from different parts using Kiswahili,” Kihoro said.

He added that due to the advancement of the local film industry, different actors from all regions in the country will perform during the threeday festival. “The festival will consider all people in the country especially film stakeholders and all youths who will get the opportunity to showcase their films,” he noted.

Kihoro said a seminar for all film stakeholders and participants will be conducted during the festival in order to provide more opportunity for them to get accustomed to the film industry in the country.

He thanked government institutions, movie board and local actors for their support in preparing the DFF. Others are Tanzania Film Federation (TAFF), Leo Media and Proin Promotion Company. Kihoro called upon all Tanzanians to love Swahili film so as to improve Kiswahili language within and outside the country.

By FATMA ABDU, Tanzania Daily News

TANZANIA FILM STAKEHOLDERS ASSIST POLICY MAKING PROCESS

FILM STAKEHOLDERS ARE TAKING STEPS TOWARDS HELPING THE GOVERNMENT PRODUCE AN UP-TO-DATE POLICY FOR THE SECTOR.

From funds given by the Masaki-based BESTAC Company the Tanzania Film Federation (TAFF) has employed the expertise of a South Africa-based film consultant, Martin Cuff.

The specialist in economic development using film had the task of spearheading the research into establishing a national film policy.

Local stakeholders within the creative industry gathered on Monday and Tuesday this week to compile suggested inputs to the new policy, which will be handed over to the government.

“Hopefully the government will want to take into consideration what members of the industry have prepared to be cooperated into the new policy,” TAFF’s President Simon Mwakifwamba told the ‘Daily News’ after Tuesday’s session.

He further explained that before the two-day session with stakeholders, Cuff had spent 15 days in the country visiting more than seven ministries to research on the issue. By the end of the workshops stakeholders were asked to present their suggestions for the new policy.

Cuff told the stakeholders’ one of the main things, which had come to light during the course of the research, is the existing gap between the current cultural policy, which highlights how local culture is managed through film and the “new knowledge economy” of film as a business.

He maintains that allows the film industry to move from a “small cottage industry” into something that can dramatically contribute to the economy. “At the moment Tanzania is not going to move forward unless there is a film policy that allows it to override the pure cultural elements and move towards dramatic, economic business-based policy for films,” said Cuff.

“All over the world governments have been looking at how films can create jobs and boost more businesses together, contributing towards the county’s branding.”

Another thing he noticed that came up repeatedly is the failure of the existing government processes to create an enabling environment for film. He found out that most of the existing policy around film is about managing culture, almost from a censorship perspective without any guidelines from the government on culture.

The problem becomes graver when it is taken into affect that the world has changed very quickly. “When the government first started to write a film policy in 2004, we weren’t even using websites and now distribution is on line, production studios are on line,” Cuff said.

By IMAN MANI, Tanzania Daily News