Tuesday, August 31st, 2021 marked the
beginning of a new era in the entertainment industry as the Lagos State Film
and Video Censors Board (LSFVCB) hosted the stakeholders in the motion picture
industry as they brainstormed on how to better the industry.
The event was well attended by the who is who in the entertainment industry also had the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Pharm Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf delivering a keynote address.
Her paper amongst many other things revealed what
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is doing to improve the entertainment in Lagos so that
the state industry can serve as a role model for others in the country.
Below is the full speech delivered by the Hon
Commissioner, enjoy.
Today signifies
another great feat in the history of our dear state, the Centre of Excellence
and I must say with all sincerity that I am pleased to see this very important
stakeholders’ forum comes to fruition.
It is indeed
delightful to have these esteemed professionals in the film industry across the
country gathered here today with the sole aim of charting ways forward for the
Entertainment and Film industry.
Most
importantly, this forum will afford the State Government the
opportunity to liaise with its Stakeholders and bring into the limelight, the
policies and contributions of Government to the industry, as well as expressing
Government expectation from the Stakeholders.
Coming away from
our day-day activities and tight schedule can be daunting. We recognize it is
difficult to make time to work on these tasks in our various offices,
especially with the daily pressures, hence, this event, to allow us relax a
little and focus on a long term development plan for the entertainment and
film industry.
We are here to discuss how best we can achieve our full potentials in our
callings, a task that we must make possible; a mission we must strive to
gradually accomplish by providing step by step assistance in achieving our
desired goals.
Today’s
gathering of top echelons in the Entertainment and Film industry portends to be
a veritable opportunity to appreciate the consistency of the producers amidst
the COVID-19 pandemic and to also encourage professionalism in filmmaking
which in turn promotes their creativity and also
improve content
delivery. The Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board in line with the policy
thrust of the Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s administration and the growing
challenges in the entertainment and film industry, especially in the area of
Content Delivery and its impact on the society organized this One day
Stakeholders forum as
most movies
projected in recent times lack any form of moral and cultural values.
It is noteworthy
to say that obscenity, vulgar languages, scenes of excessive violence and
negative African stereotypes seem to be the order of the day which forms a
major platform of societal degradation, thus; the need to come together and
agree on ways best to eliminate such dysfunctional contents and exhibit
positive values for a better society. Evidently, Content Development, a process
of originating and maintaining contents in order to provide knowledgeable
fillings to the generality of the people has taken a notable percentage in the
scheme of things globally and we cannot afford to lay back, leave anything to
chance or shrink in our responsibilities to harness the all-inclusive
possibilities of propelling and encouraging its full integration.
The Theme of
today’s event “Content Development as a Driver For Sustainable Growth in the
Film And Video Industry” is a step in the right direction considering the State
Government contributions to the industry which aims at shaping and reshaping
societal conducts and values; thereby, building a formidable and productive
system that can favourably compete with many of its kind, globally, in view of
the present shift towards a universal acceptance of the Film Industry.
Distinguished
ladies and gentlemen, permit me to appreciate the commitment and visionary
leadership of Mr. Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who has ensured and
continuously geared tireless efforts to bring the Entertainment and Film sector
to international standards and world best practices. These are evidently
demonstrated in the TH EM ES Agenda of the administration, Entertainment and
Tourism being the 5th pillar. Recall that in its bid to improving the film
industry and enhancing capacity building of interested individuals in the
creative industry, the State Government partnered with Ebonylife Academy and
Delyork Creative Academy to train in this sector focusing on the standard and
content delivery of film production. These avenues we urge you all to utilize
in order to improve contents and productions deliveries.
In the same
vein, there are well thought out interest-free intervention funds especially
for the film industry that will help mitigate some of the challenges being
faced by the industry. These gestures are in line with the Policy thrust of the
State Government to transform the entertainment and film industry. All of these
are being implemented through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the
Lagos State Creative Industry Initiative (LACI).
Worthy
professionals here today, we must note and acknowledge the fact that the entertainment and Film industry are the media influencers and movie production
is a daunting endeavour that requires a high level of physical and mental
research. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the time is now to break off from
indecent contents devoid of moral values and imbibe our rich African culture
and heritage to the Film Industry. This is a deliberate call to improve on the
standard of delivery and enhance the Industry.
As the economic
hub of the Nation, we must begin to blaze the trail and seek to transform the
entertainment industry in accordance with global best practices and strive at
sustaining a significant value chain that will better the lots of the industry.
Expectedly, this forum will also serve as a veritable channel for strengthening
and bonding all stakeholders and focusing on strategies to impact the audience
positively in the delivery of our content. Succinctly, I hope we all have insight
and are well prepared for the onerous and herculean task of gathering here today
with the specific aim of proffering veritable and sustainable ways forward. I
enjoin you to give and take everything you can from this epoch-making event.
Thank you all.
PHARM. UZAMAT AKINBILE-YUSSUF
HC (MTAC)
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