Botswana: Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture (MYSC), through NOW TV channel in the Department of Arts and Culture, hosted stakeholder engagement at Tlotlo Conference Center in Gaborone for the Film and TV Industry sector.
When giving his welcome remarks, Dean Molebatsi – Policy Specialist -Arts and Culture, said that the film industry hadn’t received the recognition it deserves due to a lack of resources hence the Ministry’s Ministry’s commitment to assist content creators/ individuals in producing quality productions that can be featured in cinemas and can be sold internationally through procuring content.
He said MYSC is collaborating with the Botswana Film Industry and the Botswana Screen Association to share film industry knowledge to facilitate commercializing the creativity sector. “There is a lot of potential and opportunities in the film industry like employment, acquiring skills and selling our country Botswana,” said Molebatsi.
The film stakeholders embarked on a nationwide tour hosting workshops in different districts across the country with aspiring film makers and the youth that studied film. This enabled sharing knowledge and learning about the challenges faced by content creators as a step towards changing and supporting the film industry.
MYSC film office coordinator, Gaonyadiwe Kwalate said that the Ministry Ministry is trying to help film makers access cultural heritage sites when filming without restrictions which is per MYSC’s mandate of preservation and promotion of culture.
She said they will give free mentorship on film and documentaries after these workshops and all the projects will be used in the National Film Festival in November.
The workshop will be continued on the 13th of July, 2023, at the Tlotlo Conference Center in Gaborone from 0830hrs, where now the focus will be on the Film Industry Practitioners.