Hillywood is now looking forward to partnering with Nigeria movie, Nollywood as a backbone for selling the Rwandan tale to other competitive movie sectors on the mainland.
With the assistance of Victor Okhai, a seasoned Nigerian producer, scriptwriter, director and movie advisor, a number of Rwandan movie performers are presently undergoing facilitated training on various movie manufacturing procedures and methods.
This training was part of “Strengthening the Cultural and Creative Industries in Rwanda” in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and Culture in Rwanda, a project backed by UNESCO and Korean Funds-In-Trust.
Okhai, who is also a director of the International Film and Broadcast Academy in Lagos, Nigeria, was in the nation
last week He informed KT Press that Rwanda has the greatest untapped potential that can be sold in the film sector.
Rwanda’s film industry is currently largely motivated by comedy content and fewer action films that can sell in the region and continent despite the country’s vast talent and distinctive stories, lovely scenes and culture
“I see myself as a coach of ‘Team Rwanda’ and I have come here to shape the next generation of film makers. Rwandans have good skills but lack confidence. In order to turn this around we started with giving them skills,” he said.
To materialize these abilities, Okhai said there will be a lot of cooperation between the two nations and particularly in partnerships where Rwandan talent in Nigeria can synergize with talent.
“If we have the backing of government we can get actors from here to work with Nigerian, Ghana or South African films which will increase the GDP of the country as it has worked out for NollyWood,” Okhai stated.
Rwanda’s film industry has more than 5,000 registered performers in the federation, and although there are many internet film projects generated, only two television drama series (Seburikoko and City Maid) stay the most common but local.
To demonstrate that Rwanda’s team has talent that can sell better content, Okhai helped qualified filmmakers create a one-minute impactful brief movie “Unknown,” featuring Rwandan actress Aime Magnfique Nyirarukundo within less than three hours.
The movie, about a single mother residing in an abandoned house structure who lost her kid to an unidentified intruder as she went out to win the bread, leaves the viewer in suspense.
“If we are able to make the shortest film in the shortest record time ever, this means that with collaboration Rwandans should start with what they have and know it’s okay to make mistakes but move on,” Okhai said.
This certainty sounds like music for Maxim Rindiro who entered the 2015 local film industry as an actor without any prior training abilities and enthusiasm for film has prompted him to begin producing personal film on comedy and human rights content.
Rindiro describes that producing the action material is challenging because it is costly but Rwanda has topics that can be fully explored to tell the Rwandan tale in tourism, culture and politics.
“There is potential stories to sell globally like the Kwita Izina developed to be the next Tarzan, Kingkong movie. We also have beautiful ladies and landscape and special culture that people are interested in knowing but can be explored,” Rindiro said.
To guarantee this, according to Prudence Uwabakurikiza, Consultant Project Manager at Ishyo Art Center, a one-year $115,000 project “Strengthening the Cultural and Creative Industries in Rwanda” backed by UNESCO and Korean Funds-In-Trust is ongoing.
The initiative aims to assist enhance the performance of 100 current script authors, performers, filmmakers, producers and managers, as well as music production and management, manufacturing of theatre, and curatorship of visual arts.
“Since 2018 the project worked with actors in 15 districts, developing a training program in priority gaps in areas of theatre production, and so far 77 have been trained but we intend to finish with skills creative entrepreneurship, advocacy for funding and partnerships among others,” Uwabakurikiza said.
Uwabakurikiza observed that these abilities will allow Rwandans to compete in international and global movies on an equal footing.