The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) says it will continue to leverage on international partnerships and collaborations to deliver on its mandate, given the enormous responsibility it has in preserving Nigeria’s cultural heritage through the National Film Video & Sound Archive, Jos. This, and other efforts aimed at engendering seamless operations and service delivery, were revealed by NFC’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, during the focused meeting held with the delegation from Institut National de L”Audiovisuel (National Audio-visual Institute) – INA, France, who were guests of the Corporation on a need assessment visit. The delegation from INA was in Jos for the envisaged support and assistance of NFC’s national audio-visual archiving, digitization and preservation project.
According to a statement signed by Mr. Brian Etuk, Director, Public Affairs of NFC, Dr. Maduekwe said that NFC has, and will continue to sustain its unwavering commitment towards the effective utilization of domestic and international partnerships for its capacity building and resource development programmes and projects; given the evolution of new film production techniques, technologies, archival practices and preservation. The Government of Nigeria, he further said, recognizes the enormous contributions of film archiving to national development, noting that the creative industry and especially, film sector support in growing the nation’s economy must be given the attention it deserves.
The capacity of digitization and online digital space in creating awareness across borders must be relied on for the protection of the nation’s rich cultural heritage. “As we continue to pull our enablement and resources together to preserve and protect Nigeria’s audio-visual heritage, there can be no other time than now” Dr. Maduekwe averred. Nigeria’s heritage – culture, history, economy, political etc, must be secured, digitized, preserved and archived. NFC’s commitment to building a National Repository for Nigeria with cutting edge technology at the National Film Video & Sound Archive, and human capacity through the National Film Institute is on the front burner of its strategic development plan for the film industry.
Speaking during the meeting which took place at NFC’s headquarters in Jos, Mr. Christopher Pecot, Cultural Attaché, French Embassy – Lagos, said that the French Government and its institutions remain committed to supporting the development of Nigeria’s audio-visual sector. According to Picot, the existing bilateral cultural treaty and the audio-visual cooperation between Nigeria and France, was the reason for the need assessment visit by the Institut National de L”Audiovisuel (National Audio-visual Institute) to the NFC. Mr. Pecot was optimistic of a robust intervention and assistance for the NFC, having been privileged to visit the NFC, to assess it challenges and sight its facilities.
Mr. Pecot, who led Sarah Vandegeerde and Jean-Claude Macik of Institut National de L”Audiovisuel (National Audio-visual Institute) on the two-day working visit noted with excitement, the experiences and outcome of the various working sessions and engagements with NFC management, as well as staff and students of the NFI.
