MultiChoice Malawi targets November to start producing Malawi’s TV series to be shown on DStv’s and GOtv’s OneZed channel
MultiChoice Malawi is set to unveil the successful candidate of the Masterclass in scriptwriting to start producing Malawi’s TV series to be shown on OneZed channel on both DStv and GOtv.
This was disclosed by MultiChoice Malawi Managing Director, Emma Gichonge at the 2022 Media Showcase — its annual engagement with the media, which aims to summarize and exhibit how MultiChoice embraces its role as Africa’s most-loved storyteller.
Gichonge said they target to start production at the beginning of November, with the series slated to premiere at the beginning of 2023 on OneZed.
“We successfully hosted our first physical Masterclass in scriptwriting — led by industry veteran, actor, producer and director Neil McCarthy in conjunction with the Ministry of Information & Digitization in the closing of a fruitful two-day event,” she said.
This follows the recent establishment of the MultiChoice Expansion program, dubbed Project Pamodzi that was launched Malawi — the collaborative project between MultiChoice, local television stations and local content producers, for industry-development and training programs facilitated by MultiChoice Talent Factory Masterclasses.
She explained that Masterclasses “are vital in equipping content producers with the tools and knowledge to fulfill their true potential and cultivate work that represents truly Malawian stories”.
“Such stories should embody essence of ‘The Warm Heart of Africa’ — with a hint of international appeal and flare. We look forward to hosting more of these sessions in the near future.
“We are committed to ensuring Malawian stories are told and it brings me great joy to have observed such a positively overwhelming response to the call for proposals for the first Malawian comedy or drama series that has been commissioned for OneZed channel.”
OneZed, which was added onto GOtv last July, a pan-African channel that caters to the Zambian and Malawian markets — a full family entertainment channel through which DStv and GOtv viewers are enjoying shows that tell authentic African stories with international appeal.
Some popular shows on the channel include drama/comedy, ‘Landlady Meets Landlord’ and thought-provoking drama series ‘Ubuntu’, afro-novela’s ‘Zuba’ and ‘Mpali’.
Gichoge emphasised that telling the African story is not just MultiChoice Africa’s statement but “is woven in the fabric of its existence” — pledging that the TV entertainment provider had made it “a priority to invest in African content and continues to introduce channels that add value to our customers and grow Africa’s video entertainment industry”.
She said MultiChoice focuses on providing a world of choice to its customers, adding: “We hope what we share here today resonates with you the journalists — as esteemed story tellers in your own right”.
She also highlighted that MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) academy is actively supporting the growth of qualified Malawian filmmakers — “and not only does MTF upskill, inspire and nurture talented young people to work in local creative industries, but it is also helping to establish a sustainable pipeline of quality local film and TV content within Malawi”.
“I am proud to share that we will soon celebrate two more Malawian students, Chisomo Kawaga and Asante Mbaimbai, who will graduate at the end of this year from the MTF academy, as part of the class of 2022 — Mphatso Makamu, Chimwemwe Livason, Jonathan Kapumba and Chimwemwe Mkwezalamba as Malawi’s MTF alumni.”
She further said these MTF alumni are a “working film industry professionals in their own right, actively contributing to the growth of Malawi’s creative arts landscape.”
“We look forward to seeing them using their acquired knowledge to help build the Malawian film industry, like the cohorts that came before them.
“We are committed to providing our customers with the right mix of local, pan-African and international content to ensure we provide our customers with a world of choice and even more value.”
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