Lagos State Government, in partnership with EbonyLife Creative Academy (ELCA), has produced another set of 132 young and vibrant filmmakers to fill the skill gaps of professionals in the film industry.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the new set of graduates held recently at EbonyLife Place, Victoria Island, Lagos, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Solomon Bonu, disclosed that the Nigerian creative industry was becoming the livewire of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and charged prospective film-making graduates to take advantage of every opportunity around them.
Bonu, who said that the graduates were trained in cinematography, film production, editing, acting and directing, among others, expressed readiness of the State Government to support upcoming youths who want to venture into film-making through a special fund set aside by the State Government.
He said, “Mr. Governor is interested in this programme because one of his agenda is to develop the entertainment sector so that the youths can be taken out of the streets and become better persons in society.
Also addressing the new set of graduates, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Princess Adenike Adedoyin-Ajayi, commended the partnership of the State Government with EbonyLife Creative Academy and urged the graduating students to leverage their choice and make their ideas become reality.
She challenged the trainees to justify the huge investment of the State government such that the administration can be further encouraged to sponsor the training of more beneficiaries.
Adedoyin-Ajayi said that the determination of the students to endure the rigours of the training has shown that they would break even in their chosen areas of interest.
Her words: “Let me congratulate you and inform you that you are on the right path and in the right industry. Lagos State is not just the hub of economic activities in this country, it is also the soul of entertainment activities. The partnership of the Lagos State Government with Ebonylife is to give you the leverage to succeed in this field.
“We are not stopping only at training you. We also have plans to support your dreams and help to nurture your creative ideas so that they can come to reality”, the Permanent Secretary stated.
The Head of the Ebonylife Academy, Mr. Theart Korsten, said that the students were trained in all processes of filmmaking that would enable them to produce their own films.
The students, according to Korsten, were trained in screenwriting, narrating course, cinematography, film producing, directing, acting class, post-production audio class and post-production sound class. The eight courses are those taken at the school.
One of the trainees, Ms. Taiwo Omotosho, disclosed that her class produced four films during the training.
“The expectation is that we will be able to work on our own to produce more movies because the creative industry needs people like us who can bring new content rather than recycling old ones. And I am very sure that this set is going to make the Academy and Nigeria proud”, she quipped.
Another graduate, Adebayo Oloko, who was also awarded best actor, commended the State Government and Ebonylife for the opportunity given to him in order to bring out the best in him.
He said: “I am humbled and feel blessed. Getting this award is just an honour that I don’t take for granted. I’m saying thank you for giving me this platform because I don’t know where I’ll be without this platform. It has also encouraged me to even keep up the good work”, he said.
