Creative Eddie Butita has launched a new initiative, Slate 100, aimed at addressing the access and opportunity issues many Kenyan filmmakers face and grow a culture of film in the country.
Launching the initiative, Butita said, “Kenyan storytellers have the talent but not always the opportunity”, a gap Slate 100 aims to solve.
“We have talented people in our industry, but how is it that our industry isn’t at the level it is supposed to be?” Butita asked at the beginning of his announcement. “Why is it that all the platforms we depend on are deserting us?”
His question comes a few weeks after MultiChoice Kenya made the decision to shut down Showmax, following continuous financial losses. The streaming platform financed many high-end productions in the country, including ‘Single Kiasi’, ‘Real Housewives of Nairobi’ and ‘Crime and Justice’, to mention a few.
Giving a reason for this decline in investment, Butita attributed it to a lack of film culture.
“Why isn’t (Kenya) a viable market? This is because we do not have a strong (film) culture to convince people that our films can really sell,” Butita continued. “This happens because we do not have the financial capability…or opportunities to bring up people with good stories to dominate space and make this a viable market.”
While many Kenyan filmmakers have benefited from showcasing their films at international festivals, none have come as close to global recognition as “Nairobi Half Life”, which premiered over a decade ago and “Rafiki” (2018), which was so controversial that it was banned in the country.
The answer to solving this issue, according to Butita, is Slate 100.
“Slate 100 is about culture, opportunities and bringing together film professionals so we can create a vibrant culture of film and unlock the limitless opportunities that exist in the film world. We are going to produce 100 films.”
He ended the announcement by asking anyone working in the industry or joining it to sign up on the Slate 100 website to make this possible. over the course of two years.
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