UNESCO To Partner With Netflix On Short-film Contest In Sub-Saharan Africa
A short film contest for filmmakers from Sub-Saharan Africa has been announced by a global streaming platform in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The new competition, titled 'African Folktales, Reimagined,' will provide six winners with international mentorship, a $75,000 production budget, and $25,000 in prize money to help them build their short film.
UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for culture, Ernesto Ottone, confirmed the competition, saying the agency had approached Netflix as part of the continent's first thorough mapping of the film and audiovisual industries.
“What we’re trying to achieve with [Netflix] … is how we can engage those young film-makers in telling stories of African folk and in passing on through the generations the culture and the traditions that are in place in Africa.
"To do this, partnering with a platform on the global scale of Netflix was vital to ensure visibility," Ottone said.
Netflix’s director of content in Africa, Ben Amadasun said: “Africa has a rich storytelling heritage and a wealth of folktales that have been passed down for generations. When you marry these very local stories with Africa’s emerging talent, there is no limit to fresh new stories to connect people with African cultures and bring the world that much closer to each other.”
Applicants must submit a 500-word summary of their project, as well as links to examples of audiovisual work they have created, in order to be considered. Until November 14, 2021, the competition will be open.