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From Gyang Bere, Jos
The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and Audio Visual stakeholders from Nigeria and South Africa have constituted an implementation forum to escalate the activation processes of Nigeria and South Africa Audio-visual cooperation agreement signed by President Muhammadu Buhari And Cyril Ramaphosa.
In a press statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs Brian Etuk and made available to Daily Sun said that was the outcome of the 10th session of the Bi-National commission held in Abuja.
The statement which tagged the implementation forum as Nigeria-South Africa Audio-Visual Forum (NSAF), an outcome of the round table session, discussion and meetings attended by officials of both agencies including audio-visual stakeholders and contained in a communique issued during the Johannesburg Film Festival.
The communique said all the stakeholders canvassed for the urgent commencement and implementation of the provisions as contained in the Cooperation agreement through intensive audio-visual engagements.
It specified that NSAF will among others nudge, recommend, initiate, consult and implement joint domestic and cross border film development and cooperation activities, programmes and projects in both countries on a sustainable basis.
The communique added that it shall explore, where non-existent) platforms for the mounting of film related activities, including but not limited to conferences, workshops, seminars, training and capacity building, co-production project.
The communique stated that Nigeria’s foremost film festival, Zuma Film Festival, auspicated by the NFC shall provide the platform for coordination of official inter-country audiovisual festival engagements with a distinct annual “Nigeria-South Africa Audiovisual Forum” bi-national engagement.
It also stated that the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), shall facilitate the provision of a platform in South Africa, for the hosting of the Nigeria-South Africa Film Festival, with the choice of the Durban International Film Festival/Durban Film Mart Institute as a follow-up platform for the implementation of the Co-operation Agreement by NFC/NFVF, the two implementation agencies of the audio-visual agreement.
“NFC and NFVF within their national jurisprudence are expected to fast track the full activation and implementation of the Audiovisual Cooperation Agreement by JULY, 2023 with the formal launching of the “Audio-Visual Co-Production Procedure & Practice Handbook” at the Durban Film Festival/Durban Film Market in South Africa.
“Stakeholders, also agreed that all pre and post activation activities and processes, shall predominantly be geared at promoting bilateral and cultural relationships to strengthen the bond between the good people and governments of the Federal Republics of Nigeria and South Africa.”
It noted that the two implementation agencies (NFC/NFVF) shall endeavor to secure the cooperation and assistance of diplomatic missions of both nations to ease intercountry engagements by audio-visual stakeholders, adding that both states shall equally encourage the full optimization of all processes, programs and projects contained in the Cooperation Agreement to serve as a springboard for enhanced, formal, and more bilateral and multilateral audio-visual cooperation agreements in Africa.
