Broadcast content across borders

MIPCOM Buyers’ Awards 2020 Winners Emerge

ORGANISERS of the 36th yearly international television content market, otherwise called MIPCOM 2020, have announced winners of the MIPCOM Buyers’ Award for Japanese Drama. It is held in partnership with the Bureau of International Drama Festival in Tokyo. The award event, which is specifically dedicated to presenting and promoting Japanese content selected by MIPCOM Buyers, held as part of the 2020 MIPCOM Online+ Warm-up, which opened on October 5 and closed on October 16. This edition of the award, which held on October 14, is the 11th edition of the coveted awards. The organisers say that the awards are part of the World’s Entertainment Content Market, MIPCOM, which holds online from October 12 to November 17. The Grand Prix award went to Harassment Games by TV TOKYO Corporation, Japan, while the Special Mention award went to The Secrets, a production of Kansai Television Company, Japan.“MIPCOM Buyers’ Award for Japanese Drama” was founded in 2009 in collaboration with MIPCOM. Since then, it has been held yearly as an official MIPCOM event. The award recognises exceptional Japanese dramas as selected by European, American, and Middle Eastern buyers based on the notion of “what they want to buy.”MIPCOM Online+ is the first digital edition of the World’s Entertainment Content Market offering month-long access to inspiring keynotes, screenings, conferences, intel, pitching, networking, and more. It is recognised as a premium digital platform offering 1-to-1 video meetings and live chat among attending delegates during the week of 12 October. MIPCOM Online+ will be available for catch-up through 17 November. More information: www.canneseries.com

Entries Still Open For 2020 Zuma International Film Festival
ENTRIES are still open for the 2020 edition of Zuma International Film Festival (ZUFF), which is scheduled to hold in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, from December 1 to 7. The festival is themed Content Connectivity – 2: Everyview, Everywhere. A statement from the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), organisers of the yearly film fair indicates that filmmakers wishing to enter their works have up until November 15, 2020, to do so. Entries can be submitted via the film freeway platform or at the Zuma Festival Secretariat in Jos, Plateau State as well as in all the NFC zonal offices in Lagos, Asaba, Umuahia, Yola, Kano, and Abuja. This edition of the film festival will have a combination of physical and virtual participation with the physical participation complying with COVID-19 Safety Protocols. This edition, according to the organisers, aims at focusing on sustaining the conversation on harnessing the potential and opportunities inherent in digital content production, marketing, and distribution. Managing Director of the NFC and Chairman, Organising Committee of ZUFF 2020, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, has assured that no effort will be spared to ensure that ZUFF 2020 sustains the narratives that Nigeria is indeed the hub of film production activities in Africa despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Maduekwe explained that the vast growth and the great potential within the film sector of Nigeria make it imperative to emplace platforms where those who develop and produce content for the film have access to opportunities of funding, marketing, distribution, and exhibition. The NFC boss said that ZUFF 2020, the 11th in the series, would again provide a platform for the recognition of Nigerian filmmakers who have or are adding the needed value to the development of the art and business of filmmaking. The Awards categories are Best Cinematography, Best Script, Best Animation, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Documentary, Best Foreign Film, Best Student Film, Best Picture, Best Indigenous Film. More details can be sourced at www.zumafilmfest.gov.ng

American Film Market 2020 Online Fixed For November
ORGANISERS of the American Film Market have announced more details about AFM 2020 Online, including early exhibitors, plans for its biggest programming initiative to date, and its online platform that features highly engaging networking opportunities.  The event will hold wholly online and is set for November 9 to 13. Already, more than 300 exhibitors from over 35 countries have already registered. The United States has the biggest exhibitor presence with 132 companies followed by Russia (26), the United Kingdom (22), France (14), and Germany (12).  The organisers also say that they are bringing the renowned AFM conference and educational programming online.  Attendees will be presented with a record 80+ live sessions and over 200 speakers who will partake in conferences, panels, workshops, conversations, and presentations throughout the run of the market as well as have the opportunity to experience anything they miss with on-demand replays. The AFM is the most efficient film acquisition, development, and networking event in the world. More than $1 billion in production and distribution deals are closed every year — on both completed films and those in every stage of development and production. Over five days in November, 7,000+ professionals from 70+ countries access the entire global catalogue of available films and projects, attend world-class conferences, and connect with decision-makers. The AFM is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance. For more information and registration, please visit americanfilmmarket.com.

NBC Recovers Hacked Account
NIGERIA’S broadcast regulator, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), has retrieved the organisation’s website and Twitter account that was reportedly hacked on Friday morning by a cyber-attack group known as ‘Anonymous’. The cyber-attack group had announced that it was in control of NBC Twitter account- @nbcgovng. The hackers had declared in a message that they published on NBC’s Twitter account that they have decided to hack into government agencies social media accounts in solidarity and support for the on-going #EndSARS protest. But hours after, NBC through the Acting Director-General Professor Armstrong Idachaba, said the agency has been able to retrieve the account through the help of Twitter. He also stated that the agency has done the required account authentication to avoid future occurrence.