Lagos Govt, EbonyLife Train 123 Filmmakers

Some graduating students of EbonyLife Creative Academy have applauded Lagos State Government for partnering with the Academy to offer free training for 123 youths in the State.

The graduands spoke with our Correspondent on Friday, shortly after their graduation in all aspects of film making which took place at EbonyLife Place, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Sharing their experiences while on training, they said they jointly participated in production of three films namely; Her Perfect Life, Iyawo Mi and Endless Loop, being the prerequisite for graduation.

The production according to them, has proved the skills in them and prepares them for the future.

One of them, Sonia Cocina who graduated in Post Production said the training would project her career.

According to her, the 11 weeks training has exposed her to the world of films. She said, “The programme has taken me out of my comfort zone and made me better in editing and everything that has to do with it. I am glad to meet amazing people as friends, and I cannot wait to see what is awaiting us in the outside world.”

Corroborating Sonia, another graduating student, Elena Onyekwelu Chinonso said, I was an editor in one of the films produced by the Academy, that alone reveals that there are lot of work to be done based on sets, getting on sets, production designs and editing.

Earlier, Mrs Adebukola Agbaminoja, the Executive Secretary, Lagos state Film and Video Censors Board, congratulated the graduands and expressed delight that another batch of film makers had been produced under the partnership.

She urged them to always aspire for the best to attain the peak in their chosen fields. ‘’Always embrace your unique perspective, let creativity rule everything you do and explore your prowess through images and convincing storylines,’’ said the Executive Secretary.

Also speaking, Mr Idowu Johnson, Director/Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Council of Arts and Culture said the government would do all it could to project the graduands to employment opportunities, ‘’We want a situation where we can engage the creative youths and expose them to employment opportunities.
We would like to support them to growth in the industry.” He said.

Head of School, Drikus Volschenk, said, ‘’I am a South African actor. So far, this Academy has graduated over 1,200 filmmakers within a period of two and half years but today, 123 of them are graduating after 11 weeks intensive training.
These are the next generation of Nollywood that need to work together to revolutionalise the industry.

‘’People believe in the story we put out there, especially stories about Nigeria, but if you keep on telling negative stories about your country, Sub Africa and the Continent, people will believe it, so, you’ve got a choice to market your country well through film making.

‘’There are lot of talented youths out there and Nigeria is one of the talented countries I have ever lived in.
The students are amazing but they need proper training which we have ejected in them.’’