The KAP-SOPA Pan-African Filmmaking Bootcamp is set to conclude with a three-day graduation and film premiere event at the KAP Film Village & Resort in Nigeria.
The 12-week programme, organised by Kunle Afolayan’s KAP Film & Television Academy in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Benin through its audiovisual agency, SOPA, brought together 20 young Beninese creatives for theoretical and practical filmmaking training.
The programme comprised four weeks of theoretical training in Cotonou, followed by a practical production residency in Nigeria, where participants produced original short films.
The three-day event is expected to attract personalities from the international film industry, including Oscar-nominated director Abderrahmane Sissako, curator and festival director Keith Shiri, filmmaker and media entrepreneur Femi Odugbemi, and international producer Virginie Besson-Silla.
The partnership was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier this year and was aimed at strengthening collaboration and skills development within Africa’s creative industry.
KAP Group founder, Kunle Afolayan, said the programme was designed to promote collaboration between the film industries of Nigeria and Benin.
“This program was conceptualized to transcend borders. By merging Beninese artistic heritage with the robust production ecosystem of Nigeria, we are fostering a generation of filmmakers who view the continent not as fragmented markets, but as a unified canvas,” Afolayan noted.
The graduation programme is expected to bring together filmmakers, government representatives, diplomats and cultural leaders from Nigeria, Benin and other parts of Africa.
The KAP Group also announced plans to use the event to introduce ITAN, The Screen Gathering and Awards, an annual pan-African film conference scheduled to launch in 2027.
Afolayan explained that the proposed platform would provide an avenue for continent-wide discussions on film financing, policy harmonisation, technology and other issues affecting the film industry.
TheNation
