A team of five upcoming filmmakers emerged top in the inaugural Academy of African Filmmakers training that just ended in Nairobi in December. The filmmakers – Kizito Gamba, Mark Wambui, Annabel Angwenyi, Florence Onyango and Agnes Njeri working under ‘Delilah team’ – were picked as best by a panel of film experts.
The winners were announced after an intensive three-day course offered under a partnership between Unilever and MOFILM, a global community of filmmakers that aims to inspire filmmakers and help them further their careers.
The training is a new initiative to empower Kenyan filmmakers and develop filmmaking expertise among participants who will work on live Unilever briefs and stand a chance of getting funding.
The winners will battle it out for the top prize with regional winners from South and West Africa on January 20, 2015. The overall winner will get a cash prize from Unilever to support their work and a trip to the annual Cannes International Film Festival to showcase their talents.
“This reaffirms our support for local talent and better the lives of today’s young generation by providing the much needed skill and exposure,” Mr James Jakachira, Brand Building Director for Unilever East Africa said.
The academy is part of the Unilever Foundry, a platform which the company launched in May to collaborate and experiment with the digital and creative community. “The quality of films was outstanding,” said Silja Frey, the MOFILM Lead after announcing the winner. “It was a great pitch and they told a perfect story.”
The winning team presented a short film of LUX, one of Unilever brands. Ms Frey said the story was creative and was told differently without the usual stereotypes of beauty products. The other brands being featured in the competition include Aromat and Sunlight.
