The Kenya film and Classification Board has increased its sponsorship for this year’s Riverwood Academy Awards to Ksh2.5 million. Making the announcement today in Nairobi, Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) Chief Executive Officer Ezekiel Mutua said Riverwood Academy was creating employment for many Kenyan film professionals and related industries.
“There is no doubt that this will make a great contribution to the country’s economy, enhancing Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product,” he said, adding that KFCB is making every effort to facilitate growth in the industry.
The board is implementing initiatives to support local artistes and producers, he noted. “Our main goal is to nurture talent and create opportunities for training of players in the industry, and more employment opportunities through entrepreneurial ventures in the creative sector,” he said.
In the United States, arts and culture are estimated to be contributing 3.2 percent of GDP, translating to $504 billion annually. Nigeria’s Nollywood has lately overtaken India’s Bollywood to become the world’s second largest film industry by volume after Hollywood, according to a report published in the Fortune Magazine.
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In Kenya, the film industry currently generates Ksh7.2 billion shillings every year, creating direct and indirect employment to more than 100,000 people, according to the Pan-African Federation of Filmmakers.
Mr Mutua revealed that KFCB has sponsored two teams to participate in two international film festivals in India and Burkina Faso. The first team is currently in India to screen a local film ‘Kizingo’ at the prestigious Bollywood Bodhisattva International Film Festival. The second team is in Burkina Faso to participate in the Pan-African Film and Television Festival in Ouagadougou.
He further said a number of projects are underway to promote the film industry in Kenya, including Sinema Mashinani to revive theatre culture and encourage more film production among communities in vernacular.
