By Chisomo Phiri
Deputy Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture, Owen Chomanika has urged the creative industry in the country to explore multiple ways of showcasing local films.
Speaking in Lilongwe on Friday November 24,2023 during the launch of the Malawi Film Festival, Chomanika said that even local television stations do not seem to have a passion to show locally produced films.
The Deputy Minister said that while there are plenty foreign films being beamed in the country, locally produced films are missing from the local entertainment landscape, creating an impression of total absence.
“Film industry is a very good platform for telling our stories in the way we want them told.
“This is why I am appealing to the film industry in the country to explore multiple options of popularising their work,” said Chomanika.
He further said that the film industry has not been well managed and valued.
On her part, Deputy Director responsible for censorship in the Department of Arts Anganile Nthakomwa said by allowing heavy presence of foreign films, the country has left local cultural values vulnerable.
She said: “Because we have been watching foreign films, we have let our own culture get eroded as foreign culture got embodied into people’s daily lives.”
Commenting on the same, vice-president of the Film Association of Malawi, Ashukile Mwakisulu, described the film festival as an important thing saying it exposes local talent for potential avenues for growth.
