The First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto has urged upcoming filmmakers in Kenya to tell local stories through productions that meet the standards required by global film distribution channels.
Speaking during the closing ceremony for the NGO International Film Festival conference, she said youth with an interest in film to take advantage of government programs such as Talanta Hela.
She said that way, the youth will be able to convert our local memoirs and life stories into films.
"The government is committed to working with stakeholders to expand space for creativity, protect intellectual property rights and identify incentives required from the state to scale up production within the creative economy," she said.
The theme of the 2023 edition was focused on the role of film in amplifying messages in education, equality and climate change.
"The film sector is covered in the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda by the Kenyan Government under the digital superhighway and creative economy pillars," she said.
Mama Rachel Ruto urged the organisers of the festival to build a platform where professionals in the industry can pass skills on to the younger budding filmmakers as a way of giving back.
She said collaborations between the NGO International Film Festival and the Kenya Film Commission will develop the Kenyan film industry to global standards.
The First Lady underscored the role played by filmmakers in bringing important human-interest stories, issues in society and destinations to our attention.
"By packaging content in an entertaining and captivating way, films bring to our attention conversations and concerns that we would have missed if it had been done differently," she said.
