The United States Government has announced its readiness to launch a one-year film-focused Community College Initiative programme to take participants through the script to the screen process.

The programme, according to the government, will include four Nigerian filmmaking students and will support the broader efforts to build capacity in the creative economy, particularly through the lens of technical education.

The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Lee Satterfield, made this known while speaking at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) in Lagos on Wednesday, March 2024, 2024.

Satterfield said the programme would help to unlock the creative economy in Nigeria and in the United States, stressing that “we must also elevate the importance of education”.

“The deep partnership between the United States and Nigeria goes well beyond just our governments – in fact, at the heart of our relationship is our people,” she added.

She further announced the launching of the Africa Creative TV Initiative (ACTV), a new professional development programme that will focus on TV writers, producers, and below-the-line professionals.

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According to her, ACTV is a partnership with the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and was created as a result of President Joe Biden’s 2022 Africa Leaders Summit and is in recognition of the creative industry’s influence and impact in Africa.

Satterfield noted that ACTV will focus on professional development and network building for television writers, producers, and those in other technical fields such as art direction, cinematography, editing, and line producing, among others.

Satterfield, who stated that the U.S. government has been supporting Nigeria’s creative industries because they offer economic opportunities for millions of people from Hollywood to Nollywood, said: “For 2024, the Africa Creative TV initiative will select eight TV projects for a four-week residency in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California.

“While there, participants will work with U.S. professionals to develop skills and prepare for writing, development, and production. Participants will bring works-in-progress to develop during the residency with mentoring by American TV writers, producers, and industry experts.”

She further announced the plans by the U.S. to build on its partnership with Nigeria through the Fulbright Program and the Mandela Washington Fellowship to pursue new opportunities to expand further into the creative industries and technology and innovation.

Satterfield said: “For over 75 years, the U.S. has connected with people through culture, sharing our struggles and successes with the world through movies and music. Now, we are seeing the same global phenomenon with Nollywood and Afrobeats. The world is paying attention to African culture, African music, and African stories.

“The United States recognises the tremendous potential of the creative industries to create economic opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic.

“American entertainers are increasingly collaborating with their Nigerian counterparts and U.S. creative companies like Netflix, Disney, Paramount, Sony, NBC Universal, and YouTube to fuel growth across Nigeria’s creative industries.

“And yet, we recognise that the opportunity isn’t for just entertainers, but more importantly for what the film and television industry calls ‘below the line jobs’ – from set design to sound and editing to promotion and production.”

The Star