The roundtable panel discussion on accessing creative
industry grants was with Mr. Madison Conoley, the Cultural Affairs Officer of
the U.S. Missions in Nigeria, and Mr. Victor Mark-Onyegbu, the Grant Director
at Africa no Filter invited to discuss the subject matter was moderated by
Award-winning Filmmaker and Contract lawyer Theo Ukpaa;
The hour-long session involved in-depth discussions on the
dos and don’ts of the grant application for filmmakers and key take always
include How to apply for grants and how not to apply.
With Theo asking relevant questions, triggering the submission of relevant information by the panelists to the session attendee, the session was very enlightening and engaging, covering aspects of accessing grants including the type of grants, who should access them, doing proper research before application and creative ideas that can pass approvals easily.
Theo Ukpaa who is also the Chief Operations officer in a
statement after the session said he had put the session together to empower and
equip a lot of people in the creative industry who have been trying to access
grants but have not been lucky passing the first stage of applications.
Every year, millions of dollars are made available for
filmmakers vis several grant programs but very few people are able to access
them. The session hopes to change this narrative.
The Africa International Film Festival AFRIFF, Founded by
Chioma Ude is a world-class showcase that presents a complete immersion into
the world of filmmaking.
Overall the session was impactful and memorable.