Zimpapers Logo

Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
Two Zimbabweans, Nkosilesisa Ncube and Nelson Madzima, who were part of the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) Academy Class of 2020, graduated at a virtual graduation on Tuesday.

The two, both from Bulawayo, are part of 60 newly trained professionals in Africa’s pool of film-making talent.

In its second year of operation, the MTF Academy had 20 students each at academy sites in Lusaka (for students from Southern Africa), Nairobi (East Africa), and Lagos (West Africa).

Liz Dziva, publicity and public relations manager of MultiChoice Zimbabwe, said the international Covid-19 crisis had impacted the training of the students recruited for 2019-2020 MTF Academy year, but with a range of innovations and a good deal of positivity, the training was completed with the students graduating finally on Tuesday.

“The crisis resulted in the need to adapt from physical to virtual learning and this brought about ongoing and continued exposure of these students to the world-class MTF academy’s 2019-2020 course,” she said.

“The students’ academic course had to be extended from 12 months to 18 months and the students now have not one, but two qualifications, making them even more sought-after as they enter the continental film and TV world as qualified industry professionals.”

Additional to their MTF qualification, the students also obtained a qualification from the prestigious New York Film Academy of Visual and Performing Arts.

“We believe that Africa’s creative industries are custodians of the continent’s cultural heritage and as one of Africa’s most important storytellers, MultiChoice has helped develop and invest in African talent through initiatives such as MTF,” said Dziva.

“Like the previous academy, Class of 2019, the Class of 2020 did well throughout their course and gives us reason to be pleased and impressed. The students completed an intensive three-week online NYFA course on the production of micro-documentaries, public service advertisements and music videos and they also worked with the United Nations on the global #PledgeToPause campaign, which exposed the young creatives to global networks.”

The MTF graduates are now part of the MTF alumni network where they are connected to industry professionals from across the continent through the recently-created second pillar of the MTF initiative, the MTF Portal.

“The success of the MTF initiative since its start in 2018 is also the result of partnerships it has created. MTF also has partnerships with internationally acclaimed organisations Dolby, Jasco Broadcast Solutions and Nihilent,” Dziva said.

To further support the up-and-coming content producers, Dziva said MultiChoice will be giving several students an opportunity to work on M-Net productions. They will take part in a four-week internship on various M-Net productions, a move that will equip them with acting skills.