US, Kaduna Film Festival Sharpen Filmmakers’ Skills On Documentary Funding

Kaduna International Film Festival (KADIFF), successful collaboration with the United States (US) Embassy successful Nigeria, via the American Film Showcase (AFS), trained 12 seasoned and fledgling filmmakers connected however to concern documentary films.

The one-day, three-hour masterclass was facilitated by Lisa Hasko, caput of Exchanges astatine AFS, who brings implicit 15 years’ acquisition championing filmmakers and their stories to the session, and Dorina Amina Abubakar, programme manager astatine African Creative TV (ACTV).

The masterclass successful financing comes arsenic a effect of the accumulation spread successful documentary filmmaking successful Nigeria. Participants noted that the fewer funds targeted astatine filmmaking absorption connected fictional productions, portion governmental authorities are lone consenting to transmission resources to politically inclined documentaries.

Beyond funding, Nigeria is conscionable opening to make a documentary assemblage with the emergence of festivals specified arsenic the iREP International Documentary Film Festival and the screening of documentary films astatine festivals specified arsenic the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) and KADIFF.

Hasko introduced the 12 participants to guidelines for crafting a concern program for their movie projects, the antithetic types of documentary backing available, and the cardinal accusation required by backing organisations successful immoderate movie project.

Both facilitators further advised the filmmakers to guarantee they person lawyers’ draught contracts oregon agreements with immoderate 2nd oregon 3rd enactment they motion connected with to money oregon co-produce their projects.

Hasko said discussions should hap earlier immoderate contracts oregon agreements are signed to debar a concern wherever the creator loses creator power of his oregon her project.

Occasions wherever the funders’ oregon donors’ ideas clash oregon disagree from the filmmaker, Hasko said, are a substance of ethics. “If you consciousness similar you are compromising excessively overmuch connected the things that are important to you to get a fund, past the money is not for you. Move on. You volition yet find the close backing for you.”

She urged filmmakers to see co-productions, friends and family, diaspora communities, fundraising campaigns with radical who stock an affinity with their taxable matter, successful summation to authorities funds from immoderate EU countries whose operations are becoming much global.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim urged the filmmakers to research different section and planetary funds for their movie projects, arsenic opposed to Netflix and different streaming platforms, which, connected galore occasions, bash not wage filmmakers outright oregon guarantee them of beneficial deals.

She shared a fistful of links to organisations and institutions that money documentary and different movie projects.

While it’s perfect to person immoderate enactment done earlier sourcing for funds, determination is bully quality for beginner filmmakers without a portfolio oregon a tonne of enactment successful their repertoire.

“Have your concern program ready, and look retired specifically for improvement funds that enactment projects successful their improvement stages. That’s the benignant of money you’d need. Also, the festival is simply a bully spot to web and conscionable with directors you tin enactment with connected your scripting, to rise chances of accessing funds for your project.”