The 5th edition of the Kalasha Film and TV Market, hosted by the Kenya Film Commission (KFC), has attracted over 100 regional and international experts and exhibitors in the film business who will participate in a 3-day trade fair at the KICC, Nairobi.
The trade fair offers a unique platform for regional and international players and festival-goers from the TV & Film industry to gather, exchange ideas, collaborate, share stories and develop new business opportunities.
Speaking during the launch, the Chief Administrative Secretary, Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, Maureen Mbaka, said that the Ministry will continue working tirelessly with the relevant agencies to ensure the environment in which the film business is conducted is conducive.
“The main objective of the Kalasha Market is to encourage growth and creativity in content creation. I hereby urge all filmmakers and stakeholders to come and enjoy this unique opportunity to engage and interact with experts from Kenya and across the world. Such forums offer a great platform to exchange ideas and for mutual learning which is an important aspect of the progress of any industry, the film sector included”,
said CAS Mbaka.
KFC CEO Timothy Owase noted that the festival will showcase filming activities and offer a high-level interaction through conferences, workshops, business-to-business opportunities and pitching sessions.
“As KFC, we are committed to ensuring that Kenya is a global hub for Film Production. Our mandate is to develop, promote and market the film industry locally and internationally as a filming destination, promoting local content and identifying and facilitating the growth of the film industry. Hosting the annual Kalasha International Film Market is one of the ways we have achieved this”,
said Mr Owase.
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Within the Kalasha Market, there shall be various events taking place namely workshops, panel discussions, industry mixers, pitching sessions and an exhibition by the various players. In addition, for the first time, Kenya Film Commission shall have a launch for the various filming locations in the country, which shall be accessible to film producers and content creators on demand. Film producers shall be able to find out various details about a location without having to physically go there.
“This year we are offering a richer and wholesome experience for those that are looking to participate. We are offering content creators a chance to pitch their content to potential buyers. We put out a call for registration earlier and we have lined up several creators and potential content buyers for this exercise. We are also unveiling the ‘My County My Story’ initiative aimed at rallying for content creation and screening within various counties”,
added Mr Owase.
An average of 100 foreign films or commercial shoots take place every year in Kenya. This has established Kenya as an international filming destination and created employment opportunities for local filmmakers.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics 2019 economic survey, the Kenyan film industry directly employed 129,824 people in 2019 or about 4.5% of the country’s total employed workforce.
In 2019, the Kenyan film and audiovisual sector contributed an estimated US$110,758,056 to the country’s US$95.5 billion GDP. This is according to a report on The African Film Industry released by UNESCO.
