Staff Reporter
THE Namibian Film Commission (NFC) said that Namibia has witnessed a total of N$64 million spent in the country last year on international film productions, which included 89 film and photography permits.
Nicola Muranda, the Media Officer at NFC, said that this included 53 documentaries, ten photoshoots, 8 television series, 5 reality shows, 3 feature films, 2 commercials, 3 feature films and 5 others. This, she said, created about 377 jobs within the local economy.
Caillin Basson, a board member of the NFC, said that the film commission budget from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology has increased from N$3 million to N$6 million. Basson added that the film commission’s strategy is to increase international film productions in Namibia as well as improve the quality of local content, thereby increasing the export of films.
In addition to this, Basson said that the film commission will strengthen its content management capabilities to make the Namibia Film Commission an admired brand.
Basson further called for the revitalisation of the Filmmakers Association of Namibia (FAN), adding that the NFC will not fund any artist that is not registered with FAN or any other affiliate organisations.
In order to increase its effectiveness in industry, the film commission also shared that there is a need to develop a film policy in Namibia to bring about improved financing as well as regulations within the industry.
The commission, which was funded with N$3 million last year, could, however, not provide information on the local films funded for the 2022/2023 financial year as this will only be made available after the end of March.
For the 2023/2024 financial year, the film commission said that it will have a feature film titled “Under the Hanging Tree” premier, while a documentary titled “The San – Out of the Shadows” is also set to premiere this year.
Short films to premier in 2023 are Misunderstood, Journey, Belinda, Narrow Street and Snare.
The film commission also announced the Web Series, Iileni Eatery, which will also premiere this year.
In addition, films in production for this year, according to the film commission, include, Momeya, Tjipangandjara, No Fish Tale and Last Summer, while films in development for 2023 are Heavenly Glow, Transgression, The Day the Music Stopped Playing and African Relativity.
While 14 facilitation companies are registered with the NFC to service international productions, on the 8th of March this year (International Women’s Day), female filmmakers met to organise themselves under the “Sisters Working in Film and Television” or SWIFT Network. The aim is to champion the empowerment and access to equal opportunities for women in this sector.
The film commission also announced that a total of 20 to 30 Namibians will be trained in animation in an upcoming apprenticeship programme.
