As Edo readies for the Edo State International Film Festival (ESIFF), big-ticket sponsors for the maiden edition of the film contest, including Presco, German development agency, The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) and Phoenix, among others have assured support for the state’s creative industry, pledging to support the government’s programmes to harness the creative potential of youths in state.
The festival, scheduled to hold between September 1st and September 4, 2022, is being organised by the Edo State Government in collaboration with private sector partners.
Already, the festival has received over 1,551 movie entries from 94 countries, with winners of the film contest expected to win $6,000 as rewards.
Other sponsors include Kada Cinemas, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the German Cooperation, and Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub, among others.
Representative from Presco Plc, Tony Uwajeh, reassuring support for the programme, said it will attract the entire film industry to Edo State to expose the budding talents in the creative sector and provide them with the opportunity to participate and compete globally.
According to him, “It will be a week of interesting activities. Presco Plc is into the oil palm sector and has come a long way with the Edo State Government. We will partner as the official tour partner of this event. In these four days, participants will visit Presco Plc on Saturday, 3rd of September 2022, availing them the opportunity to see beyond the city center. We will continue to partner with the state government towards repositioning the state for sustainable economic growth and development.”
Also, the representative of Kada Cinemas, Benadicta Oboh, added, “As part of our sponsorship toward the Edo State International Film Festival, we will be offering two of our cinema halls for use and each of the cinema halls is about 159 and 123 seats respectively. We would be offering 50 per cent discount prices for items purchased during this period as part of our commitment to the success of the film contest.”
