The United States Embassy in Nigeria has collaborated with Kunle Afolayan Productions (KAP) Film & Television Academy to teach prospective filmmakers.
At a press conference held Tuesday at the KAP Village in Ikeja, Lagos, the alliance was revealed.
The occasion not only signalled the start of the partnership but also the third iteration of the academy’s Reel Circle, a program that allows movie buffs to gain knowledge from professionals in the field.
Through a four-day program centred on film direction and cinematography, the initiative seeks to develop young Nigerian filmmakers.
Afolayan stated at the occasion that the collaboration was started during his most recent trip to the US.
The 50-year-old award-winning producer said the training aims to nurture the next generation of Nigerian filmmakers by providing hands-on experience to top US industry professionals.
He also highlighted the academy’s other partnerships, including ones with the French embassy and a German company, which have enabled training for 10,000 youths.
“When the opportunity to partner with this US Embassy came, we felt we could merge the capacity building training. Because our focus is the young people. But Reel Circle is for everybody,” he said.
“It is like raising a child. Some of them are this genuinely while some of them think it is a place where they could make a quick name. I think the onus rests on us to pass the information, and knowledge as much as we can regardless of whether they listen or not.
“This is just one of our initiatives. We have a partnership with the French embassy. We just completed one with a German company. We have also held training for 10,000 youths. Some of these people work permanently in-house for us. For me, that is a success story.”
Angel Williams, the US-based writer and director, and Erin Wesley, the American visual artist and cinematographer, were selected as tutors. The training will be held between November 12 and 16.
Will Stevens, the US consul general in Nigeria, described the partnership as a continuation of shared culture between the two countries.
“As an American diplomat, I feel deeply, the power of our culture and how the United States has benefitted for many decades, the power of culture and that has helped how people perceive the United States for better and for worse but it also led to increased interest in visiting and doing business in the United States,” he said.
