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Arts Reporter

All is set for the inaugural virtual mentorship programme to be hosted by Accountability Lab Zimbabwe in conjunction with Magamba Network, which begins today.

The programme dubbed “The Film Friday podcast” will be facilitated by Munyaradzi Guramatunhu and will have award winning film maker Joe Njagu as the first guest.

Njagu will take part in the initiative in the comfort of his home, while Guramatunhu will be at a different location as well.

The programme will be done virtually as part of following Covid-19 regulations and restrictions.

In an interview ALZ Film Fellowship project officer, Dexter Fundire, who is also the producer of the podcast, said all was set for the virtual mentorship.

“Each Friday we will invite one prominent individual from the film sector to discuss all things, from their film careers and the state of the film industry in Zimbabwe,” he said.

“All is set and our first presenter is film practitioner Joe Njagu who will discuss some of the aspects. Our hope is to educate and inform young Zimbabweans on what goes on within the industry by giving them first hand insight on what it means to be a successful filmmaker in Zimbabwe, while also championing social justice and accountability.”

Fundire said the podcast session will run for 30 minutes from 5pm today.

Contacted for comment, Njagu said he was ready and will use his expertise in brief.

“This is a great initiative and I am happy to be part of it,” he said.

“There are a lot of missing gaps in film and television that need to be discussed and understood.

“There is also a need for unity among the film family.

“There is also a lot of untamed talent and they do not know how the industry works.

“As film producers, we should create opportunities for such talent and encourage those experienced actors not to shun the upcoming, but fully give them support.”

Njagu, who is known for some of his greatest productions like “The Gentlemen”, “Lobola” and “Cook Off” said the podcast programme was important.

“I hope with the limited time I will be able to ground some of the key objectives in the film sector to make it grow into an industry,” he said.

“These include, to develop the creation, to increase the production and to promote the distribution of local products and to safeguard and promote the local film heritage.”