Botswana: The Film Office in the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture hosted an angaging session with the local filmmakers. The event, which was hosted in Tsabong on Monday, sought to encourage the filmmakers of the district to strive to do better.
The Film office of Botswana has been organizing meetings and interactive sessions with the filmmakers across the nation. They have been encouraging the creatives to come forward and show their talents.
Storytelling is one of the most effective way of promoting the culture and preserving the heritage of the nation. Stories that emerge from within the community can play an important role in the highlighting the triumphs and failure that people are experiencing.
Some of the stories, even if they bear no notable resemblance to reality, can provide deep insight into the world it comes from. The films can reflect the various ways that different people can perceive and react to certain situations.
As such, the administration has urged the filmmakers to continue to come up with stories. The film office is committed to nurturing Botswana’s film industry. The film office asserted that creativity and collaboration is key in developing and elevating Botswana’s Film and Television landscape.
In his opening remarks, Keabetswe Motswasele, a member of the MYSC Tsabong team reflected on this. He said, this stakeholder engagement will ignite a new chapter for Tsabong’s creative community and collective potential.
The stakeholders are committed to using each individual talent and resources towards amplifying and impactful initiatives in the film and television industry of Botswana.
Eric Paulo, MYSC Film Office representative, said that the role of the film office is not just to enable the creative arts to generate income for practitioners. The office also seeks to establish operational standards through the establishment of the Film Commission.
This indicates a commitment to supporting practitioners not only creatively but also financially, ensuring that they have a sustainable income and professional stability.
Mandla Mogomotsi, the District Film Coordinator, stated that, ‘you are what you consume,’ The call was made to challenge the local creatives from Tsabong and surrounding villages to strive for a deeper understanding of their industry.
He emphasized that the information they consume should align with their profession, fostering growth as Film and Television practitioners.
The District Film Development Capacity Building, Short Film Screenings Tour and NOW!! upgraded IPTV Platform activations will be concluded in Gaborone on the 25th & 26th July 2024