On Friday 11 June, the first intake of students at the EbonyLife Creative Academy (ELCA) completed twelve weeks of classes and passed out in a historic ceremony to mark the achievement. All of their courses were free of charge, courtesy of funding by Lagos State Government through Lagos State Creative Industries Initiative (LACI), under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
Beginning 8th March 2021, the students took courses in Art of Screenwriting, Producing for Success, The Director’s Toolkit, Acting for Screen, Cinematography and Lighting, Art Direction for Film and TV, Audio Essentials for Film and TV, and Visual Post Production. Designed by local and foreign industry experts, the courses are designed to help working film professionals improve their skills, and to equip beginners with the skills they need to launch their careers. Technical support and computers were provided by partners HP and Zinox, whose representatives were on hand to witness the ceremony.
At the end of their courses, groups of students from different disciplines merged into teams to produce a short film each for exhibition. These six films were shown during the graduation at EbonyLife Cinemas at EbonyLife Place, the lifestyle resort where the ceremony took place. Each film was greeted by sustained applause from the students and their VIP guests, as their impressive filmmaking skills were exhibited. Several prizes were awarded to outstanding students, to recognise their efforts and the quality of their work.
The Hon. Commissioner for Tourism, Arts & Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, remarked: “I am so proud of this first batch of young filmmakers, who have spent the last three months honing their skills. They are well on their way to becoming the highly skilled technical and creative filmmakers that we need to help us to drive the creative economy forward.”
Mo Abudu, CEO of EbonyLife Media, was equally impressed. “These graduates have made the most of the learning opportunities made possible by Lagos State’s funding of this Academy. As Nigerian films begin to make an impact in world cinema, I believe that this new generation of filmmakers will tell our story in new and original ways.”
Beaming with pride, as his charges took photos and celebrated their success, Head of School, Mr. Theart Korsten spoke about their journey. “This group faced all the challenges we set and found a way overcome them. My hope is that they see the twelve weeks they spent at ELCA as the beginning of a never-ending process of lifelong learning, as their skills and the technology they use continues to evolve.”
Since 7th June, the second intake of students at ELCA has started classes and is set to graduate in September. Registration is ongoing for the intake that will follow.
For more information on courses available at EbonyLife Creative Academy, visit www.ebonylifecreativeacademy.com
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