WeOwnTV: Idriss Kpange Filmmaker Fellowship

Hello and Happy New Year to our GlobalGiving community,

We hope that your 2018 is off to an energized and purposeful start. We are just one week away from opening applications for our next Filmmaker Fellowship. This year, we are thrilled to open the fellowship to a fourth country, Ghana. We are working now with our partners in all countries to get the word out - SO - if you know any filmmakers living and working in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and now, Ghana - please share this opportunity:

Applications open Feb 1st & are due April 15th!

For our inaugural fellowship program, seven filmmakers were invited to participate. Topics covered in the selected projects range from the stories of Sierra Leone’s ex-servicemen to an insider's look at Female Genital Mutilation initiation practices in the Bondo society; from an investigative look at how water scarcity has increased teenage pregnancy rates in the region to a portrait of a community trying to break the chain of discrimination and stigmatization experienced by Ebola survivors. The fellows underwent extensive training which included the completion of a production workshop, editing workshop and a professional development retreat.

We learned a lot with this first cycle of fellows and are continueing to adapt and evolve the fellowship as we move forward. This year, we will working create a more intimate experience for our fellows while also adding international networking opportunities. We also are adding a Professional Development fellowship and two of our 2016/2017 filmmakers have been invited to work with us for an additional year. We will continue to work them as they hone their projectsf and we will strategize innovative ways to push the finished films out into the world.

We are proud to announce that the professional development projects will be; Life After the Army a film that profiles the lives of three ex-service men and An Bondo Beyky which shares a tragic and powerful story about the practice of female genital mutilation. Here is a message from Tyson Conteh, the Director of An Bondo Beyky. "I am very proud that my project was selected. It is a very personal story for me and the world needs to know about it. This experience has been life changing. My confidence has improved and I can say I am a better filmmaker because of the WeOwnTV Fellowship. I look forward to what the future may bring." - Tyson

We look forward to sharing the completed projects with our GlobalGiving community soon. Until then we look forward to updating you on the progress of this wonderful fellowship.

Thank you for your support!

Banker White and the entire WeOwnTV team

Hello to all of our wonderful supporters!

We are excited to share an update from the field from John, one of the WeOwnTV Filmmaker Fellows. His project is titled, “Life After the Army.”  The documentary film shares the stories of five ex-service men who left the army after an 11-year-long civil war in Sierra Leone.  Between 2004 and 2010, more than six thousand military personnel left the military through the "Voluntary Retirement Program", some of them forced out through the program in a manner described as "compulsory". Today, a large number of these retired soldiers, having exhausted their meager retirement benefits, are now penniless, miserable and striving for survival under very harsh and inhumane conditions. With this film, John's intent is to diminish the public's negative perception of serving and retired soldiers, raise awareness about the plight of ex-service men, and to inspire policy changes, which ensure that those enlisted in the army have a sustainable plan for life after service.

Here is a message from the Director:

Potential quote in case John doesn't get back to you in time:

"When I started making "Life After the Army" I knew it was going to be an uphill task, but I was greatly encouraged by the fact that I was recognized by the team at WeOwnTV. Being a WeOwnTV filmmaker fellow has been invaluable for me. The mentorship I am receiving from this experienced team of documentary filmmakers will no doubt play a big part in my relentless effort to accomplish my goal."

- John

We are so happy to have John in our inaugural class of Filmmaker Fellows.  We would greatly appreciate your support by sharing this project and any donation you can make to help support West African filmmakers share important stories like this one.

Thank you for your support!

Banker White and the WeOwnTV family