This buzz is obviously exciting for the professionals within the film industry but as many filmmakers always assert, film and TV are collaborative undertakings. A film like this forthcoming production requires a myriad of professionals - from construction workers through set designers - to wardrobe, music composers and even painters. As such, film productions have the potential to revamp economies in the communities where they are shot.
We take this opportunity therefore to pay tribute to the team, which made a conscious decision to incorporate young professionals in this country into their production. We are sure their input will definitely add that much needed "Botswana look and feel" which the writer and the director seem to be working towards. We think their enterprise is a move in the right direction and we hope our young professionals find it worthwhile to learn as much as they can.
However, we also see wider implications for the Arts industry in general. According to reliable information, the filmmakers are keen on producing film sequels, and TV series on all the seven books that McCall Smith has written about this country, provided this first film succeeds. We therefore hope that this film becomes a success.
That notwithstanding, the current revival should spur government into action if these opportunities are to be long lasting. A policy should be developed to address the Film/TV industry. Firstly, Botswana needs a Film Board that would oversee all the filming in this country. The Board would be central to developing a core of Film professionals from the current crop of highly talented and well-educated Batswana by ensuring that every production made here incorporates them. The fact that the local film industry has not gained anything from the wildlife documentary filmmaking boom in the north points to the need for a policy and possibly legal framework to be set in place by government. Mma Ramotswe, who is known for solving almost every problem, may have come at the right time, to solve the current lull in the local Film/TV industry. We call for positive action now!
