Zimbabwean writer and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga has commended MultiChoice Talent Factory academies and has urged Zimbabwe’s aspiring filmmakers to seize the opportunities these academies have presented to them.
MultiChoice Africa established the academies 2018, with Southern Africa hosting two Zimbabweans in 2018-19, at which Dangarembga was was invited to be an adjudicator for both classes. Dangarembga had this to say:
Being an adjudicator for the MultiChoice Talent Factory Academy selection was a hugely exciting experience for me, as it allowed me to connect with the new generation of talent.
It gave me the opportunity to encourage all the candidates in any way I could to focus on their strengths and I also recognised the opportunity it presents to help fill some of the gaps in the industry with this enterprising young talent.
Dangarembga said the main impact on Zimbabwe’s film and television production industry of the MulitChoice Talent Factory initiative was that of providing young Zimbabweans with something very definite to which to aspire.
She is already regarded as a leading cultural personality in Zimbabwe, remains highly active and is at present presiding over a slate of six feature films set in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria and Germany. She is also working on a television series and is writing a novel that will appeal primarily to young adults.