Winners of Sahara Group’s ‘Grooming Film Extrapreneurs’ project are set to enhance their craft at the London Film Academy on the bill of the leading African energy and infrastructure conglomerate.
The duo of Joseph Duke and Chinenye Balogun who emerged as the top two winners of the competition which received over 200 entries, will attend the training in London.
Unveiled in 2016, the competition flagged off Sahara’s unfolding corporate citizenship model tagged: extrapreneurship. The model seeks to create a platform that finds, creates and connects young people with business interests in emerging markets.
The competition involved the submission of 15-minute documentaries on the activities of Nigerian entrepreneurs by young film maker.
Joseph Duke the overall winner of the project recently completed a six-month internship programme with ace film maker, Kunle Afolayan, being the star prize of the project. “It still feels like a dream each time I think about how Sahara Group’s support has enhanced my career. I spent six dream months with Kunle Afolayan during which I learnt a lot and interacted with some of the best minds in the industry. Now, going to the London Film Academy is another experience I am looking forward to. In fact Sahara Group has changed my life and given wings to my aspiration,” he said.
Duke said he was already working on some projects that he hopes would announce his entry into the film industry “in a big way”.
Sahara’s spokesperson, Bethel Obioma, said the energy giant was delighted to be “co-creating a future of excellence in the film industry with budding talents through its projects and interventions.”
“Sahara draws inspiration from giving individuals wings to achieve their dreams and aspirations. We are passionate giving all we can and working with like-minded stakeholders to promote sustainable development across the globe,” he said.
Chinenye Balogun said the London Film Academy experience would further hone her skills in pursuit of her dream of ultimately becoming a successful film maker.
She said: “I am inspired by what Sahara Group is doing in terms of helping people’s dreams come true and look forward to using my career and achievements to support young film makers.”
The delegates will undergo training in Editing and Cinematography at the London Film Academy.
Sahara is currently concluding plans for the next edition of the grooming film extrapreneurs project with an extended mandate of giving opportunities to young film makers in Africa to showcase their works.
