Something Big is About to Happen in the Kenyan Film Industry

Piece by: Kwarula Otieno
Lifestyle

The Kenya Film Commission (KFC) is set to launch a major Eastern Africa Film & TV international event bringing, under the same roof, 3 main sub-events, a B2B (Business to Business) Eastern Africa Film & TV Trade Show, an International Film Festival and the annual Kalasha Film & TV Awards.

The Commission is partnering with French Embassy in Kenya in the coordination of the event. “The primary objective of the event is to showcase Kenya as a major regional hub for Film and TV production, post-production and distribution across all platforms and genres while reinforcing the uniqueness of Kenya as a shooting location”, notes Lizzie Chongoti, the CEO of KFC. The event, a creative hub, intends to bring together, for the first time, all the players from the Eastern Africa Film & TV industry, in one place and at the same time; offering a platform for all the players and the festival goers from the Film & TV industry to gather, discuss, exchange, collaborate, share stories and develop new business opportunities.

The event will culminate into the 2015 edition of the Kalasha Film & TV Awards now in its 6th edition. KFC seeks to lock in a state- of- the- art meeting and events venue within the Central Business District, which will offer the breadth of space required for an event of this magnitude and that will bring among many others; filmmakers, artists, producers, post-producers, distributors, TIC companies, audiences, partners and VIPs together in one place. Collective spaces from the players from the whole audiovisual industry, will supplement venues for the majority of the event’s special activities that include and not limited to market studies, master classes, film talks, innovation events, awards night, and parties.

An official signing ceremony between KFC and the French Embassy in Kenya will take place on the 22nd of January 2015 at the Kenya Film Commission at 10am. The signing will be done by the CEO Kenya Film Commission and the French Ambassador to Kenya. The press briefing will have representatives from both parties to give other details on the event. A massive campaign across media channels to kick start the event will also be launched. The Kenya Film Commission’s mission is to develop a vibrant local Film and TV industry and market Kenya locally and internationally as a preferred filming destination for sustainable wealth and job creation.