Durban - International exposure is on the cards for five of 31 South African film and video digital content enthusiasts, who are being trained by the Leaders in Motion Academy (LIMA) and the SAE Institute.
The lucky five will enjoy exposure in Australia and the United States of America’s entertainment industry, and will be given seed funding to start their own businesses.
“Five of the 31 students, who do exceptionally well, will be exposed to quite a lot of opportunities within gaming competitions and animation festivals following the completion of the course. We are currently working on partnerships and collaborations at an African and global level,” said Thato Molamu, actor and managing director of LIMA.
The courses are SETA-accredited offering higher certificates in animation and visual effects, game design and production, and digital film production. LIMA is collaborating with the SAE Institute, who are leaders in creative media and gaming, and who will provide the facilitation.
The one-year course kicked off in Johannesburg this week, and 31 students, all unemployed from various townships around the city, have been selected for various digital content creation programmes, funded by Rand Mutual Assurance.
Molamu, also an entrepreneur and head of Gateway Media, says the biggest effect the training would have on the industry is to establish more players in the digital-entertainment space.
“We don’t have a lot of animators and gamers in South Africa. There is a huge shortage, and what we hope to achieve working with these kids is that they can replicate their experiences and go back to their communities and expose other young people.”
SAE managing executive Darryn van Zyl told students they should engage and ask questions, and dedicate themselves for one year in order to establish a bright future in the industry.
Lecturers and facilitators at SAE have qualifications in the respective fields they will be teaching, to ensure students are exposed to the latest industry trends.
Angelique Matsimela, LIMA’s head of operations, said the institution received 1 230 applications and could only select 31 students.
“Film school is so expensive, and not a lot of people have that kind of money sitting somewhere to study film and television. As LIMA, we saw an opportunity to create it. We don’t have many creators in the industry. LIMA partnered with SAE because they have a global reach and we want to expose the selected students to that and get the best from the industry.”
Students will receive monthly stipends, a laptop, headphones and a hard-drive. On completion of the programme, all students will get starter-pack equipment towards their own businesses. Previous beneficiaries for this programme included creators of Moja Love and some Showmax productions.
Gateway Media and LIMA have also conducted workshops and masterclasses to assist artists and young people during Covid-19, through the Presidential Stimulus Package (a fund assisting those in the arts) and the National Film and Video Fund.