MultiChoice has released the profile of 20 students selected as the first intakes of the MultiChoice Talent Factory Academy. The candidates were chosen after a two-month long process of shortlisting candidates from over 3,000 entries from Nigeria and Ghana.
This was followed by a rigorous interview and adjudication process by a group of film and television industry experts and MultiChoice regional Academy Director, Femi Odugbemi
. The list includes the following names: Adeniyi Joseph: Adeniyi “Taj” Joseph, 26, a cinematographer, is convinced that the African creative industry is evolving at a fast pace.
He believes that the biggest challenge of the African film and television industry is paucity of technical skills and hopes to learn as much as he can about the process and business of filmmaking at the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) Academy.
Allen Onyige: Allen “Blackboi” Onyige, 26, a cinematographer, is passionate about music videos. Born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, his dream is to be a film director. Blessing Bulus: Blessing “Goldihyah” Bulus wanted to be a filmmaker since childhood. She believes that film is one of the strongest mediums of communication.
She is desirous of learning about filmmaking beyond being behind the camera. Bolaji James: Bolaji James, 23, is passionate about refining storytelling through film. A cinematographer, photographer and editor for film and documentary, he believes that it is important to have a discerning eye for the visual aspect of film. Dumevi Irene Yaamoakoa: She is a 25-year old television director.
She holds a diploma in Television Production. Born in Accra, Ghana, she predicts that over the next decade, Africa’s creative talents will be competing with their global counterparts in terms of skills, finance and technology.
Edmund Asamoah (26: Videographer, photographer and graphic designer. He was born in Accra, Ghana, and holds a first degree in Communication Design and Multimedia. His favourite film personality is Nigerian actor, Pete Edochie. Gilbert Bassey (25):He is passionate about writing and is also a musician with the stage name, Gillian Bacci.
He believes that it is a good story that makes a good film. Henry Denkirya (26): Born in Accra, Henry is filmmaker with a passion for photography. His favourite films are The Wedding Party and The Roots. Indogesit Peter (22): A writer, who wants to use his talent to tell quality stories that will preserve African heritage and ensure global acceptance of African culture.Born in Calabar, Nigeria, Indogesit holds a B.Sc in Computer Science.
Iroagalachi Precious Ugonna:Iroagalachi Precious Ugonna, nicknamed ‘Imperfect Anna’, was born 23 years ago in Port Harcourt and holds a B.Sc in Sociology. She is thrilled by Africa’s diversity and is particularly fascinated by Kenya. Kemi Adeyemi (23): Kemi Adeyemi, 23-years old TV personality from Nigeria, admires Kemi Adetiba, Adesua Etomi and Richard Mofe-Damijo. Born in Kenya, her favourite films include The Sound of Music, The Shack, The Notebook and Isoken.
Metong Minwon: The 24-year old Nigerian sound engineer wants to create a TV show that highlights the challenges faced by film and television production crews. Mnena Akpera: Mnena Akpera AKA Cutest Mnena, 24, is a Nigerian radio/television producer and presenter.
She is impressed by the diversity of the African creative industry and believes that its future is about the get brighter with the MTF project. Moses Akerele: Born in Kaduna, Nigeria, the media personality nicknamed “Ogbeni Mo” loves writing and nature. Moses believes that authenticity is the key to bridging the gap between great African stories and the right means to tell them.
