The Lagos State Government says it has approved N400 million grants as support for practising-and-upcoming film-makers, and other practitioners in the creative sector.
This disclosure was made by the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, while conveying the Governor’s gesture to the beneficiaries during the recent screening exercise of the state’s film fund applicants in Alausa, Ikeja.
She said, “Coincidentally, today is Valentine’s Day, a special day to show love to others and this is exactly what Governor Sanwo-Olu has demonstrated by granting approval for this fund.”
The fund, initially approved as a free interest loan for the applicants, was later reconsidered by the governor as a grant for the beneficiaries to produce films, animations, and other creative content that would put them on a par with their contemporaries globally.
She emphasised the need for the beneficiaries to populate the TV screens with films, documentaries, animations, and other creative content listed in their proposals when applying for the fund.
Speaking, the Executive Secretary of the state Film and Video Censors Board, Mrs. Adebukola Agbaminoja, told the grant beneficiaries that the gesture of Governor Sanwo-Olu aligned with the agenda of the current administration.
Agbaminoja stated that the administration had identified entertainment and tourism as key areas through which the youth can be gainfully engaged and assisted in projecting their creativity.
A veteran film-maker, Mr. Tunde Kelani, acknowledged that the movie industry had undergone a tremendous transformation during the Sanwo-Olu administration.