Mohalenyane Phakela
THE Motion Pictures Association of Lesotho (MPALE) has been revived, with a number of capacity building activities lined up in the coming weeks.
MPALE was established in 2014 to foster the development of the film industry in Lesotho through capacity building and promotional events. However, over time the association lost momentum, with its members focusing on their personal projects.
However, MPALE Treasurer, Relebohile Sephaka, told the Weekender the association was revived, with a number of capacity building lined up in different parts of the country.
She said the activities will start off with a symposium on the way forward at Alliance Française followed by screenings of local films at Machabeng College the next day.
Similar screenings and master classes will also be held at The Hub in Morija on 5 October, Help Lesotho in Leribe and in Thaba Tseka on 6 October. MPALE members will also collaborate in documenting the Arts, Innovation and Culture week which will run from 2 to 6 October.
“The film screenings are meant to sensitize the public about the need to appreciate local films and to foster dialogue on the stories that Basotho feel need to be told,” Sephaka said.
“The master classes will also be incorporated as part of the screenings outreach and those will be open to people skilled or interested in different sectors of film. We will also be discussing laws that govern our films as well as the terms and conditions of the Lesotho National Broadcasting Services, with a focus on the importance of quality films.”
She indicated that their aim was to reach out to the country’s 10 districts to create a nationwide pool of filmmakers. One of the main challenges faced by most filmmakers, Sephaka said, was the prohibitive cost of equipment such as cameras.
“The majority of active filmmakers are fresh from school therefore lack funds or the equipment to produce proper films. More often than not, they end up settling for cheaper cameras that cannot meet the required quality standards.
“We are working on acquiring state-of-the-art equipment which upcoming filmmakers can borrow whenever they have projects, until they can be able to afford their own quality equipment,” she said.
MPALE also intends to lobby the government to allow the tax-free importation of film equipment and an increase in local content on national television.
Sephaka also explained that they were working on a synchronised dialogue with government ministries. They intend to engage the Tourism ministry on film production support, Small Business ministry on funding, Communications on exposure and Trade for the exportation of local films.
