Emeka Rollas (MON), the national president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), has urged participants in the creative business and the educational field to support the inaugural Youth Educational Film Festival (YEFF), which is set to take place in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The YEFF is a film festival to showcase educational films in promoting value re-orientation and empowerment of young Nigerians, according to the AGN helmsman who made the announcement during Stakeholders Meeting held at the Abuja Film Village on Tuesday in Abuja.
He claimed the purpose of the conference was to get the advice, thoughts, and recommendations of important parties in order to ensure that youth engagement would be maximized and that relevant agencies of the Federal Government and that of the FCT promote and rally support for the festival towards making it an annual youth event.
He said the educational film fiesta is scheduled to hold in September 2023, is organised by the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) in collaboration with the Abuja Film Village (AFV) and the group “I am the Future of Nigeria Youth Initiative”.
He therefore called on government at all levels to support the initiative and ensure that their youths participate in it.
“The objective of the Youth Educational Film Festival is to provide a channel for educators and filmmakers in Nigeria to share ideas and methods towards promoting educational contents.
“ Therefore, the essence of having the youth educational film festival is to provide a platform for young filmmakers to showcase their talents, foster creativity, promote education and stimulate critical thinking among youth.
“We strongly believe that Nollywood is a viable tool for transformation and will help reduce some vices which has been introduce into our society.
“We intend to showcase films that will educate and inform our teeming youths through screenings, workshops, discussions and cultural activities.
“Our target group for the festival are children, adolescents, youths, as well as teachers in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions and their families,” he said.
The stakeholders meeting had in attendance representatives of relevant MDAs, including the Federal Ministry of Education, National Film and Video Censors Board, Nigerian Film Corporation and the National Library.
Others include the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, FCT Universal Basic Education Board and the FCT Secondary Education Board, among others.
The stakeholders drawn from both the public and private sectors lauded the Actors Guild and its partners for conceiving the YEFF as a platform for moral re-orientation for young Nigerians.
They therefore expressed their willingness to be a part of the youth film fiesta, but urged the organisers to hold the event when students are back to school from holidays in September to ensure full participation of students.
In his goodwill remark, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, Executive Director/CEO of the National Film and Video Censors Board(NFVCB), regulators of the nation’s film industry, described the YEFF as “unprecedented”.
“We will do everything within our reach to support this vision and I must commend the President of the AGN and his team,” he said.
In her speech, Mrs Noni Okocha, Chief Executive Officer of “I am the Future of Nigeria Youth Initiative” explained that films that would be produced from the project would focus on addressing disturbing national issues.
According to her, some issues the films will address include illegal migration, drug abuse, domestic violence, child and sexual abuse, among others.
Okocha explained that the group had earlier had an audition tagged “Born Talent Audition”, where budding talents where discovered, who will be showcased at the educational film festival.
Also, Dr Francisca Ibezim, Managing Director/CEO of Abuja Film Village, said the YEFF was part of initiatives lined up to drive the Films in Education Campaign of the organisation, and therefore lauded the stakeholders for identifying with the YEFF project,
“The Youth Educational Film Festival is not merely an event, it is the celebration of the extraordinary story that emerged when the vibrant imagination of our youth collide with the power of cinematic story telling.
“The festival is intended to provide innovative platform for young filmmakers to showcase their talents , share their perspectives and inspire change through the act of film.
“ I also want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our esteemed stakeholders , the Actors Guild of Nigeria and the “I am the Future of Nigeria Youth Initiative”, your support and engagement are vital tools in nurturing the talents of this young filmmakers.
“By our collaboration in this festival, you are endorsing their efforts and also contributing to the future of the industry and the society,”she said.
Other stakeholders present at the event include Nollywood actors and filmmakers.
