Multinational consumer goods producer Unilever has announced the launch of its
African Filmmakers’ Academy (AAF), an initiative intended to “empower, equip and
celebrate African filmmakers. Operating in three countries – South Africa, Nigeria and
Kenya – the AAF will give students the opportunity to work on Unilever briefs and also
source funding and support for their own projects. This announcement was made in
Johannesburg in August at an event hosted by Unilever’s senior vice president for
global marketing, Marc Mathieu.
“Africa is home to a huge pool of young, talented filmmakers. Through the Academy
for African Filmmakers, we’re seeking to enable, develop and promote African
filmmaking talent within Africa and for Africa,’ Mathieu said.
The AAF is part of Unilever’s Foundry, a platform which Unilever launched in May to
collaborate and experiment with the digital and creative community.
Together with British-based content-sourcing agency Mofilm, Unilever will start off the
AAF’s activities by hosting intensive, three-day courses in Johannesburg, Nairobi and
Lagos in December, touching on several aspects of filmmaking theory and practice,
with a focus on developing the storytelling skills of the attending students. The
courses are open to all aspiring filmmakers between the ages of 16 and 30, who
reside in any African country. Filmmakers can find out more and register their interest
at http://foundry.unilever.com/filmacademy.
