State pledges more support for film industry State pledges more support for film industry

PHOTO | BILLY MUTAI Cabinet secretary for Sports and Culture Dr Hassan Wario.  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By CHARLES WOKABI

 

In Summary

• Last year, the government had given a directive that at least 40 per cent of all content airing in television stations in the country be produced locally. But in April, President Uhuru Kenyatta revised the threshold upwards to 60 per cent to create more job opportunities for the Kenyan youth in arts and film industries.

The government has pledged more support to the film industry ahead of the digital migration that is anticipated to trigger a huge demand for local content.

Addressing players in the broadcasting sector during the 4th Annual Broadcast Film and Music Africa Conference held in Nairobi last week, Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Arts and Culture Hassan Wario said the film industry is poised to experience a boom as the country prepares to move from the analogue to digital broadcasting system which requires more content.

By providing more support to the film industry, Dr Wario said the government would go a long way towards achieving its goals of creating employment for the youth.

“The government’s deliberate policy of local content has seen the majority of TV stations incorporate local content in their programme line-ups. The demand for these programmes is ever on the rise especially among the younger generation; this not only creates employment opportunities for these young guys but it provides a platform through which we can share our culture with the rest of the world,” Dr Wario said.

The two-day conference brought together digital media professionals and stakeholders in the entertainment industry from Kenya and beyond to dialogue on ways of pushing the continent’s film and music industry forward.

“The film and performing arts industry in Kenya has grown to become one of the major sectors providing job opportunities to the youth. Unlike yesteryears when Kenyans didn’t appreciate local films, the trend has changed and there is much to expect from this industry,” Dr Wario said.

He said the government is in the process of creating a new law to enforce the presidential directive that requires television broadcasters to increase the airtime dedicated to locally produced programmes from 40 per cent to 60 per cent.

Last year, the government had given a directive that at least 40 per cent of all content airing in television stations in the country be produced locally. But in April, President Uhuru Kenyatta revised the threshold upwards to 60 per cent to create more job opportunities for the Kenyan youth in arts and film industries.

But despite the government’s intervention that is expected to increase the demand for locally produced broadcast content, producers will be grappling a funding crisis as financial institutions shy away from the industry.

Unlike the analogue platform, the digital signal allows for more channels to be broadcast within a single frequency thereby creating a big demand for content.

According to the Kenya Film Commission, many finance institutions shy away from the creative arts industry because returns on investment are not readily clear.

“However, it is envisaged that as demand for local content grows and more feasible productions are realised, financial institutions will find the industry attractive and therefore provide resources,” KFC chief executive officer Peter Mutie told the Sunday Nation.

Among other interventions the government has made in the industry is the proposal to set up a national lottery scheme to fund the creative films and sports.

Kenya was expected to have already shifted to the digital broadcasting platform by January this year, but like most of the East African Community, it missed the deadline.

Tanzania is the only member that met the December 31, 2012, migration deadline; the other four members hve extended it.

Last week, Information Communications and Technology Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i called on the countries in the region to realign their digital migration timelines to avoid lagging behind the global cutover of June 2015.