Ouagadougou: Faso Films Fonds est lance pour financer les projets cinematographiques avec un budget de 1 milliard FCFA. Led by the Burkinabe Agency for Cinematography and Audiovisual (ABCA), the Faso Films Fund aims to support projects for the development, production, post-production, and promotion of cinematographic, audiovisual, and animated image works, both for actors residing in Burkina Faso and for those in the diaspora.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the Minister in charge of Communication stated that the Faso Film Fund responds to a clear vision, namely “To make Burkinabe cinema and audiovisual a true cultural industry, creating decent jobs, generating sustainable wealth and competitive on the international scene.” Minister Pingdwende Gilbert Ouedraogo also indicated that with Faso Films Fund, the foundations of new hope have just been laid. He invited all stakeholders in the sector to fully take ownership of this financing instrument.
“This mechanism is yours. It is up to you to accompany it, support it and make it grow,” Ouedraogo urged. For the Director General of ABCA, Moussa Alex Sawadogo, this is a historic day for Burkinabe cinema and for all creators who often face difficulties in finding funding. “Burkina Faso, once again, is taking responsibility towards its creators in order to give them the opportunity to tell their own story, from their own perspective,” he said.
Director and producer Michel K. Zongo expressed great relief, noting that for years, it had been the dearest wish of all film industry players to have a sustainable fund. “With this fund, which will have a schedule of calls for projects, it will now be possible to structure productions and increase film productivity,” he added. Mr. Zongo also urged his fellow filmmakers to work to deserve the trust that the government has shown them through the creation of this fund, by being more creative, responsive, and dynamic, so that the cinematographic fabric becomes truly profitable.
The objectives of the fund, the categories of aid, the eligibility criteria for individuals and projects, the selection process and criteria, as well as the obligations of beneficiaries and the principles of fund management were presented to the stakeholders in the sector.