FWB trains youth for Labour market

Film Without Boarders once again are on a tour in Rwanda to work with the youth in order to develop their filming skills. Starting last week, the group has closely been working with SOS youth teaching them filmmaking skills as an employment alternative in the labour market.According to Jill Samuel the founder and Chair of Film Without Boarders (FWB), the intention is to educate youth who do not have the opportunity to learn the first stages of film production and for the youth to produce their first non-political high quality “short” drama and documentary. “The aim is to bring youth together to break down barriers, build bridges and create a dialogue; to allow 15 to 18 year-olds the opportunity of exploring the behind the scenes working of film making,” Samuel said.They learn everything from script writing, finding locations, sound camera et cetera. Everyone works as a team and FWB screen the films to the young people on completion.“It is a huge achievement for them to see that their hard work has produced these high quality short films. For some it may be something they would now like to consider as a new career path and continue along this field,” Samuel said. “In these cases we would like to encourage them and try and get them holiday work within the New Academy that is opening up or work experience so when they leave school they are known to the community.”One of FWB’s films that was produced last year, “THE TICKET” was screened at the Cannes Film Festival 2012. It was about two youths from Agahozo Shalom Youth Village. Together with other beneficiaries from Palestine and Israel, the Rwandan youth were hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television and they had an interactive session with His Royal Highness The Prince Edward of England, one of the world’s famous directors George Lucas and many other film superstars to mention but a few.This year FWB is working with SOS Village in Kigali and they are planning to work with other youths in Rwanda as their source of income will increase. SOS village is in the process of producing both a drama and a movie, ‘Rwanda has Talent’. “We are working with a distributor in the UK who is going to sell the work into various broadcasters around the world and the funds will go straight back into Films Without Borders so we can make more films. This will also finance the education of one or two young and talented youth in another country so that they can come back home to teach others,” she expressed. “Rwanda is a wonderful country filled with extraordinary young people who want to learn. The work we are doing is showing Rwanda in a different light that is often portrayed in the world media, in a far more favourable light and leaves a warm impression on both the country and its people,” Samule said.