Thread: Film industry

It is ironic there appears to be such a lack of interest in getting a professional film presence in Namibia. What a blessing it would be to have a film presence there which would be able to not only provide locations for filming but also to completely process a film and distribute it. I lived for years in Los Angeles and New York before moving. A vibrant motion picture/film production/television production system would not only benefit Namibia financially it would be provide an opportunity for career training for jobs which are avilable throughout the world.

I was once told there are only two purposes of theatre - One is to educaite and the other is to entertain. It is unfortunate the majority of films coming out of Africa for mass production continue to portray ethnic groups, espcially Blacks as inferior. It was deeply troubling that Academy Award winner Tootsi still gave the world the impression Blacks worldwide are no more than gang bangers who sometimes do and often do not redeem themself. But just imagine if it had been produced by Blacks with Blacks controlling every aspect of it. And dont give me that it would have been the same because very few movies about Blacks have Blacks involved at all levels of decision making. But to give you an example, Waiting to Exhale, Malcolm X, Devil in The Blue Dress and several others had Black/Ethnic invovlement and it shows.

Just imagine what a vibrant Namibian film industry could do to debunk the myths about Africa about the expoloitation of the minerals, resources andmost importantly People of the Continent.

So don't sell yourselves short. There are qualified Black and Ethnic directors, actors, producers and the like who would love to have a permanent base in Namibia.

And lastly, dont forget the wonderful movie Danny Glover just did about the struggle for the liberation of Namibia.

I don know aba how wonderful Danny's work were or the struggling movie for that matter and if it actually portraits the liberation struggles as it happened or from one inflated angle.....but agree with the rest of your sentiments....a sound filming environment, as said elsewhere on this very same discussion, will definately benefit Namibia and help solve the unemployment issue ;-)

As said before: Film industr - YES. Film industry subsidised by the State: NO. We simply have other more pressing priorities than making movies. That's not to say the establishment of an industry should be encouraged by meas of a clear legsilative framework and licensing regime. IT clearly should, in part for the reasons given by msjustme2 and others.

and the latest is an unemployment rate of over 50% in the Nam aight...perhaps a reform (framework and funding alike) in the filming industry might help solve the problem a bit or at least ease it?

So that the unemployed and hungry people can laugh and not feel the hunger pangs??

Hmmm. I wonder what Simon or Abius would think about this. Namibia is WONDERFUL for filming, but how much money does the govt have to spend? We (you) have people in the north who have yearly flooding problems and no stable income stream. Also, where are the filmmakers coming from? the US, Europe, Asia? How can the govt cater to them? And getting PR out? This costs money.

Really, I'm not sure if Namibia is ready for this yet, but 6 - 9 months after the US and European economy recovers, people will want to be filming in .Na. Something to think about.

- Alex

Hi Zav,

Film makers are more than welcome, and, if I look at some of the websites of companies which specialise in the the provision of extras and extras, good use it being made by companies from all over the world.

Some incentive should also be given to local film makers, but they should not be given carte blanche. Assistance could also be given to help with marketing, tax cuts, etc.