(3 minutes read)
· Kenyan Film Industry is a powerhouse in the region that makes millions of dollars in terms of revenue by its stakeholders
· The industry, of late, has suffered a major setback when lockdowns and restrictions on public gatherings were put in place by the government as part of the containment measures against the spread of Covid-19
· The situation is affecting both the filmmakers and the actors
· Film makers lament that the Curfew made it hard for the film industry to achieve its goal
Kenyan Film Industry is a powerhouse in the region that makes millions of dollars in terms of revenue by its stakeholders. The industry, of late, has suffered a major setback when lockdowns and restrictions on public gatherings were put in place by the government as part of the containment measures against the spread of Covid-19.
The situation is affecting both the filmmakers and the actors. Film makers lament that the Curfew made it hard for the film industry to achieve its goal. Many projects were stalled. There were some sporadic efforts to help the industry players during the lockdown. The stakeholders maintain that it wasn’t sustainable in the first instance and not adequate either.
The Kenya Film Commission has tried to support the filmmakers by creating a fund. But that is too late and too little, complain the industry insiders. Film industry has now another competitor -Video on Demand platforms. They are providing alternative ways of distributing movies; Kenyan content creators are still hesitant about trying the streaming sites in order to earn more.
Kenya’s government is yet to lift the restrictions on public gatherings. This also affected the sustainability of the film industry. The buoyancy in the industry will depend how innovative the players can become.
