Kenyan Filmmakers benefit from M-Net’s plan to buy movies

News of M-Net Electronic Media Network quietly investing in buying all rights for 450 plus African films covering a 25 year period is a perfect reason for Kenyan filmmakers to get to work.
In recent interview with the British press the M-Net’s Head of Sales and African Film Library Acquisition, Mike Dearham spoke of the radically plans of launching a film channel in francophone Africa as well as a Video On Demand (VOD) streaming service on M-Net’s website.
“There are two to three (key) film-makers missing. Some don’t own their own rights and they are scattered across eight co-production companies and others don’t believe in going for 25 years. People told us it would be impossible but it has turned out not to be,” Dearham said.
If this goes through, M-Net will be the distributor for the African Film Library on its own channels, through other TV stations and in film festivals.
Cajetan Boy, a Kenyan playwright and script writer who has a number of movies under his belt, including Back Lash and By Any Means Necessary believes the idea is good for Kenyan filmmakers.
“Kenya already has nine movies showing on Africa Magic Plus. From here on, it can only be a plus for Kenyan movies as they will be exposed to a larger audience.”
Simiyu Barasa another filmmaker says, “The M-Net deal is very good, better than Kenyan TV’s offer. Here they ask filmmakers to buy airtime to air their movies. With M-Net buying our movies, one can recoup their production costs. After all, M-Net gets the rights to air the movie for an exclusive period after which you can do what you want to do with it. But you are still free to sell it on the streets,” Simiyu said.
Simiyu’s Toto Millionaire is currently being aired and he is planning to sell the rights of his soon to be finished love comedy, Love Doctor.
However, the number of Kenyan movies churned out per year is a bleak contrast to film producing super giants Nigeria. As of last year, Kenya released less than ten movies a year compared to Nigeria’s 20 movies a week!