WIFT International partners Ife monarch, Swedish govt. to give over 20,000 women access to film fund
A graduate of Economics and Statistics from the University of Benin. An experienced researcher and business writer in the print and digital media industry, having worked as a Research Analyst at Nairametrics, Voidant Broadcasting Ltd, Entrepreneurs.ng, and currently a Market and Finance Writer at Business a.m. For stories, press releases, exclusive events, call +2347052803696 or send a mail to abuedec@gmail.com.
The women in film and television (WIFT) International in partnership with the Nigerian chapter of the organisation is set to host the 2022 edition of the bi-annual conference, bringing major stakeholders, international diplomats and traditional heads to give women an enabling environment, access to film and TV funds, reduces gender stifling barriers, and position women in places of power within the industry.
Speaking on the event, Inya Lawal, Secretary, WIFT International, while addressing newsmen ahead of the summit during a courtesy visit to the palace of the Ooni of Ife, in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, said “The event is aimed at bridging the gap that exists in the film and television space when it comes to funding, and gender stifling barriers. Similarly, the WIFTI is already in strategic partnership with Nigeria’s traditional ruler, the imperial majesty Ogunwusi Adeyeye Enitan, the 51st Ooni of Ife and Michael Carl, the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, and other major industry leaders in Nigeria.”
“We are bringing everyone to partner in this summit, we have His Excellency, the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, as well as other executive members of the international body from Germany and Sweden who are also in the partnership to make this event a successful one August next year. Usually, when we do this summit, we come together from different parts of the world and assess our industry, network and engage in capacity building and understanding women in what we want to do in future within the media space,” she concluded.
For clarity, the WIFTI Summit is a bi-annual event that gives women an enabling environment, access to film and TV funds, reduces gender stifling barriers, and positions women in places of power within the industry. The 2022 summit is themed “Telling Unique Stories with Film, Music and Dance,” and is said to combine the ecosystem of film, music and dance to advance the funding, creation, and distribution of stories that reflect the thriving, socially aware film culture around the world.
Furthermore, Ogunwusi Adeyeye Enitan, the 51st Ooni of Ife in his address expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the initiative and cooperation of the Swedish ambassador. In his statement, “The monarch is highly in support of what you do, the aspirations to support women in Nigeria is a welcomed development and there is no doubt of the economic impact it will bring to the kingdom, state, Nigeria and the WIFT International in general.”
Also, Carl Michael, the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria said, “The partnership between Ife and the film industry is very important and encouraging. The event is for next year and the planning is to empower women. This is one of the priorities at the Swedish Embassy in Abuja, where we try to empower women. WIFTI is a very big organization and we are looking at over 20,000 women around the world but as the world heals of the pandemic, and travel restrictions become eased across countries, I believe there will be a massive turnout of participants.
“Economically, countries struggled with the pandemic and lots of women lost their businesses. This is a great opportunity for those in Nollywood to solve some logistics concerns while they journey through the path of recovery from the pandemic economically.”
Helene Granqvist, the President of WIFT, Sweden, while expressing gratitude to the traditional head for the support for women and the film industry in Nigeria, said “Being a local chapter like a newly started forum for women in film sector in Nigeria, we choose to be part of a strong global voice. At WIFTI, we have three important pillows to connect all members, knowledge to share, build and create and the visibility to create the big picture using the camera into the big screen. For me, the start of this forum in Nigeria and Africa is great and very symbolic to carry out this vision to the rest of the world.”
Also, Nicole Ackermann, the President of the German chapter of WIFTI, said she looks forward to building on partnerships between Nigeria and German organisations.
“We are building the bridge from Germany to Nigeria where you can share your story about the rich culture and heritage in Nigeria and Africa. So, we are building this bridge to bring everyone together through the vision of WIFTI,” she said.