- Ace movie producer and director, Kunle Afolayan and other judges have commenced the screening of over 150 docu-film entries for the “Grooming Film Extrapreneurs” competition which is being powered by the Sahara Foundation.
Leading African energy conglomerate, Sahara Group, in partnership with the award winning film maker Kunle Afolayan, unveiled the novel initiative designed to provide a hub for budding film makers to hone their skills in June.
Participants were asked to create 15-minute documentaries that capture and celebrate entrepreneurs at work across the nation, using the theme ‘My Nigeria, My Platform, Nigeria through an entrepreneur’s eyes.’
In addition to promoting and sustaining growth in the Arts, the project seeks to shape a positive narrative about Nigeria that highlights our enterprise and productivity as a people.
The screening exercise will prune the entries to a shortlist of 20 – a number that is commemorative of Sahara’s 20th anniversary – and ultimately select an overall winner that will undergo a mentorship programme with the Kunle Afolayan for six (6) months.
The panel will be looking out for overall film making capability, style of storytelling, subject matter interpretation, audio and visual quality, aesthetics as well as understanding of the perspective of a story.
“As you are aware, the period for sending entries closed on August 28 and screening is underway. We received over 150 quality entries and I am excited at the prospect of teaming up with the final 20 and the overall winner. This project is special for Sahara and I because it gives us an opportunity and privilege to add our strokes to the canvas of developing the sector whilst also changing the narrative of Nigeria globally,” Afolayan stated during a session with journalists.
Also speaking on the next stage of the project, Bethel Obioma, Head, Corporate Communications, Sahara Group, said the top 20 entries and overall winner will be unveiled in the last quarter of the year.
“Sahara is proud of all the young film makers for rising up to the challenge and creating excellent documentaries about entrepreneurs in Nigeria. We are confident that these young men and women will go on to rule the film landscape globally. We remain committed to using our extrapreneurship platforms to empower millions of beneficiaries to realise their aspirations,” he added.
Sahara Group is a leading privately owned African Energy and Infrastructure Conglomerate with operating entities active in the Power, Downstream, Midstream, Upstream and Infrastructure sectors. Sahara currently has its operations in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and continues to explore new frontiers to replicate its passion for seeking creative, cleaner and sustainable ways of being the provider of choice wherever energy is consumed. The Group is a member of the World Economic Forum community – Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) and collaborates with global, regional and national organisations to promote sustainable development and transparency in business.
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