FRENCH EMBASSY PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR FILM PROJECTS

Source: nigeriafilms.com

THE French Embassy in Nigeria, through its cultural office has pledged to sustain its support towards Nigerian film projects, Nollywood inclusive

Mr. Brian Etuk, head, Public Affairs of the Nigerian Film Corporation, Jos, Plateau State, in a statement, said the new cultural attachZ and Head of French Cultural Centre in Nigeria, Francois Brossard, made this revelation when he paid a visit to the film corporation in Jos, recently.

Brossard said the French Cultural Office has been repositioned to continue to offer much more support and assistance to Nigerian motion picture practitioners who engage in film projects that are of relevance to human and capital development of the film industry in Nigeria.

The Cultural AttachZ who was received on arrival by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation, expressed his appreciation to the management of the government body for its various programmes aimed at repositioning the Nigerian Motion Picture industry, which is being reckoned with within the comity of film making nations.

The French Embassy, the cultural attachZ said would require the assistance of NFC in the selection of film projects by individuals and production companies, and access them for assistance. In doing so, the NFC will be required to recommend relevant film projects that would be supported from script to screen. The cultural officer, will however not accept requests for assistance which do not comply with institutional requirements.

Speaking earlier, the NFC boss, Mr. Afolabi Adesanya expressed gratitude to the French Embassy, through its Cultural Officer for assisting and supporting film projects in Nigeria. Adesanya also informed his guest that the NFC was in the process of setting up a film grant, which will further strengthen the resource base of the industry. This, he said would provide another means of supporting film productions/projects. He expressed optimism that the French cultural office would continue to partner the motion picture industry with the belief that in no distant time, the signing of a co-production treaty between Nigeria and France will become a reality.

He commended the assistance of the French Cultural office in Jos, for the successful mounting of the one week training programme in Still Photography which ended on February 7, 2007 at the National Film Institute, Jos.