RENOWNED film business experts and producers Alix Madigan (American) and Dorina Amina Abubakar (Ghanaian-American) were in Harare recently for a Zimbabwe Film and Television School of Arts one-week workshop.The workshop ran from July 7 and lasted a week.Madigan, an award winner, brought independent film expertise, festival-savvy producing and proven mentorship in finance and distribution, while Abubakar imparted narrative programming, rights strategy, African content mobilisation and hands-on production skills, especially valued by emerging African filmmakers. Speaking at a roundtable organised by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) for film practitioners on July 9, the two urged the government, corporate world, voluntary organisations and well-wishers to invest in the film industry. NACZ director Napoleon Nyanhi underscored the relevance of the trainings saying they dealt with the pillars of the Zimbabwe National Film Strategy and a government support to uplift the film industry in the country. NACZ board chairperson Nozipho Maraire hailed Madigan and Abubakar for their collective efforts to fill the skills and business knowledge gaps in Zimbabwe and Africa at large through spearheading hands-on approaches. She also emphasised that such boot camps help to shape film industry players into master storytellers. Butholezwe Nyathi, the public engagement coordinator for the United States embassy, who is responsible for the mission’s public diplomacy engagement with established opinion leaders, said the initiative, which was enabled by the United States embassy in Harare, connected experienced producers like Madigan and Abubakar with local talent to enhance the Zimbabwean film ecosystem by fusing artistic vision with practical business frameworks.Abubakar is a Ghanaian-American producer, writer, actor and film programmer with a global upbringing spanning Germany, Ghana, The Bahamas, the United Kingdom and Egypt.She studied at NYU Tisch and was later accepted into the UCLA MFA programme. Currently a programme specialist at African Creative TV (ACTV) in Los Angeles, Abubakar supports African content creators through residencies and training labs. She is passionate about narrative and horror films that address human rights themes and has worked on a range of film and television productions, including Insidious: The Red Door and The Girls on the Bus. Madigan is an acclaimed American film producer best known for Winter’s Bone (2010), which garnered an academy award nomination for best picture and won top honours at Sundance. A graduate of Dartmouth College and the Wharton School, Madigan debuted with the Sundance-winning Sunday (1997) and has produced notable films such as Smiley Face and Laggies, a 1982 (Lebanon’s Oscar entry).She has held leadership roles at several major production companies and now runs her own outfit, Mad Dog Films. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and board member of Film Independent, she frequently mentors through Sundance Collab and the Doha Film Institute. During the trip to Zimbabwe, she shared her extensive industry experience through business-focused film workshops and high-level discussions aimed at empowering local creatives.Speaking during the chat and mingle film producers and creatives Raphel Yobe, Sharleen Furusa, Nyarai Mabuwa, Wimar Munyoro, Vimbai and Leornard Chibhamu labelled the roundtable an important occasion in making resolutions for a better film industry in Zimbabwe.
