The Federal Government of Nigeria has given 40 practitioners in the Nigerian film industry, otherwise known as Nollywood, various grants under a recently launched capacity training fund of the presidential intervention scheme for the industry, also known as Project ACT Nollywood.
The training components of the capacity building fund is valued at N150 million and is dedicated to training and skills acquisition for Nigerian movie practitioners in all competencies along the entire value chain of the Nigeria’s movie industry.
These include scriptwriting, directing, production and production design, special effects, lighting, sound, HD techniques, acting, cinematography, make-up, editing, etc.
A statement issued by Paul Nwabuikwu, the Special Adviser to the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said: “the Capacity Building Fund is valued at N150 million and was dedicated for skills acquisition in the Nigerian movie industry and the areas of study included: Scriptwriting, Directing, Production and Production Design, Special Effects, Lighting, Sound, HD Techniques, Acting, Cinematography, Make-Up, Editing, etc.”
While expressing satisfaction with the development, the Dr. Okonjo-Iweala asked them to be obedient in the course of their study. She also used the opportunity to request for more applications from qualified candidates for the grant.
Dr. Okonjo-Iwela said: “the whole exercise is to help the industry to make further progress on a more solid foundation, that is why we need more practitioners to come in and take advantage of the opportunity, we need more qualified practitioners to apply from different parts of the country,” she stated.
She observed that: “the northern entries in the scheme have been particularly low, adding that the project is for the whole movie industry so practitioners need to come forward and take advantage of the opportunity.”
The Film Production Fund (FPF) is a N700 million instrument which allocates grants to production companies and independent producers for the making of commercially viable films at any stage of production.
The applications submitted by the practitioners successfully scaled the rigorous qualification processes for the training and skills acquisition segment of the capacity building fund
In a related development, another segment of Project ACT Nollywood, the Film Production Fund, is also operational. Already the website, www.projectactnollywod.com.ng has been activated and is ready to receive applications.
