About 30 youths have the opportunity to attend a month-long training programme in film and photography organised by Kwetu Film Institute at Gacuriro, Kigali. 

The programme dubbed, Teens Cinema Club was launched on Saturday and targets those with no prior experience in digital media and film production.

"The purpose of the Teens Cinema Club - photography and film class is to give a platform to our local experts who pass on their expertise technique and vista to the next generation. Thus, this generation has the opportunity to learn how to communicate with images, stills and motion pictures, a skill which is indispensable in the 21st century in order to make a meaningful impact" said Rene Nkurunziza, Marketing Manager at the Kwetu Group.

"We are aiming to enrol 20 to 30 teens.  Enrollment is still open to the teenagers between 12 -15 and 15 - 18 years young at  Rwf 150,000. Upon enrolling yourself and your friends, you can enter a competition that could take you on a fun day trip to Gisenyi for two,” he added.

The training covers photography, videography, script writing, acting, make-up, music, sound recording and editing. Mentors, through exercises, introduce the basics of story development and the youth learn to create story-boards and scripts for their films. They are also taught the techniques of making great pictures and creating short films in just four weeks.

Since 2004, Kwetu Film Institute (KFI) and Rwanda Cinema Centre have been instrumental in developing the film industry in the country.

"Teens Cinema Club aims to encourage and empower the youth through the use of photographs and video clips. We register teenagers between 12 -18 years interested in photography and cinematography. During the programme, the youth are taught how to tell their own stories through this model of communication,” Eric Kabera, a filmmaker and founder of Kwetu Film Institute said.

The programme started on Saturday, June 18 and will officially close on July 15.

It is a community based activity where Kwetu works together with parents to help their children develop and hone their talents outside the classroom.

One of the participants, Uwase Kalisa, told The New Times that the programme was constructive: "I’ve learnt that, as long as one is creative, they can be stars in photography and filming. I’m looking forward to the next programme during my holidays.” 

The last stage of the programme will be digital editing and post-production work for short films. Kwetu Institute enrols young people in film and photography trainings every year at their centre where experts in various fields of media, offer professional, hands-on media training programmes.

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