Namibia is increasingly being seen as a favourable film-making destination for investors who recognise the country’s vast potential.
It was marketed as such during a visit to America, said finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi at a recent State House briefing.
The minister has just returned from the United States, where he joined president Hage Geingob at the United Nations General Assembly.
He told the media that during their time there he had an engagement with several investors in Washington DC.
“We had a meeting facilitated through congress members and we met Lions Gate Entertainment, a film, motion picture and studio platform which is a big competitor of Netflix. The idea was to discuss the possibility of them looking at Namibia as a country where they can shoot movies. If you talk to those in the creative arts sector, they tell us Namibia has a lot of potential and we can create a lot of jobs.
“So the idea was to talk to them and create awareness about Namibia and try to entice them to come here. We believe we had a productive discussion. We will have to follow up on that discussion and hope we will have them here one day,” said Shiimi.
He said Namibia was also highly recommended by a senior congresswoman who had visited the country and told investors in California that Namibia was the first name that came to her mind.
“It is now for us to go back and follow up on this discussion and it is for us as Namibians to implement our ambitions to really market Namibia’s story,” Shiimi said.
Popular films shot by Lionsgate include ‘The Hunger Games’, ‘John Wick’ and ‘The Expendables’.
Shiimi’s remarks follow those made by information minister Peya Mushelenga, who last month said the local film sector has the ability to alleviate unemployment and bring development to the country.
Mushelenga said there was an urgent need for Namibia to develop and offer incentives for foreign producers.
Namibia is currently the host of a multimillion-dollar international production filming at the coast, titled ‘Ein Platz an der Sonne’ (A Place in the Sun).
The country is certainly no stranger to world-class movies and its desert is a favourite for productions like ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ starring Charlize Theron, ‘Beyond Borders’ starring Angelina Jolie and ‘The Cell’ featuring Jeniffer Lopez as the lead.
– unWrap.online
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