Sustainable funding models for the Namibian Film industry: An evaluative study of two government funded productions
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Date
2016
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Abstract
For Namibia to become a developed nation by 2030, the government has pronounced in its vision 2030 document, the need to create jobs, provide infrastructure and develop human resources. A functioning film industry can stimulate all of the above as it does not only have the potential to return high profit on investment, but also to create employment (Cuff, 2013). Furthermore, cultural industries and film in particular can also play a role in education, raising consciousness and cultural reaffirmation within a formerly colonized people, furthering national healing, reconciliation and nation building – especially at the grass roots level (Bomba, 2010, p.2). One of the major challenges to developing a sustainable film industry is financing. A solution that Namibian film industry stakeholders often recommend to address the industry‟s financial deficits is more government involvement. However, in the past few years the Namibian government has undertaken investments to support the local film industry and the most funding per project to date went to the following projects: the feature film Namibia: the Struggle for Liberation and the TV soap opera The Ties that Bind. In both cases, mismanagement of funds was reported in local media. Controversies about Namibia: the struggle for liberation still appeared in local media 5 years after the film was completed as the funds were still not all accounted for and the film struggled to secure international distribution. This study investigated these two case studies in order to establish successes and limitations of a government supported industry, and recommend sustainable approaches for building the Namibian film industry.
Description
A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts
Keywords
Film industry, Sustainable funding models