Kenya loses to South Africa as film destination

The government has been advised to put in place incentives that will enhance the country's locational value and reverse the trend of Hollywood film makers turning to South Africa as second option.

Kenya Film and Television Professional Association Executive member and celebrated producer Bob Nyanja said South Africa is becoming a better destination for film makers.

Kenya is losing the opportunity to have a film on the life of slain photojournalist Dan Eldon's story and instead the crew has been wrapping its hooting in South Africa.

"You cannot blame the producers of Journey for the decision given that the government of Kenya failed to offer a competitive package for the crew," said the producer of the critically acclaimed film Rugged Priest on the life of Mill Hill Missionary Fr. Kaiser.

Nyanja explains that the reason the film went to be shot in South Africa was due to the allure of South African government policies including part funding for the film at the rate of 30 per cent and other incentives such as free hosting for location scouting film crew from Hollywood and other respected filmmakers of the World.

Adding his voice is Lenny Juma who is the chief auditions agent in the region having been involved with such big films as the Constant Gardener, Lala Croft Tomb raider, and Arthur and the Invisibles.

"When we lose these deals we lose opportunities of employment for our directors, actors and other crews. The money being spent by Kenya Tourism Board and other tourist bodies should be injected to help brings movies here," said Lenny the 2014 Kalasha Awards Lifetime Achievement Award winner.

He noted that good films will automatically market the country as a tourist destination and disappointed with the Eldon picture going to South Africa in spite of him auditioning Kenyans for certain roles in the movie some years back including Sydney Pollack's 1985 romantic epic, Out of Africa.

Don Eldon who was stoned to death at the age of 22 together with three other international journalists covering the height of civil turmoil in Somalia 23 years ago, was at the prime of his age.

He was working as a photojournalist with Reuters and had had earlier on at the age of 20 took the risk and photographed emaciated children and women dying from a biting famine in the country and which were widely used by Time and Newsweek Magazine resulting to international action to save the people there.

In a previous interview the mother of Dan said how she tried to get the flick shot in Kenya instead.

"I still hope we shall get the support here," she was quoted before a decision was made to move multimillion shilling project southwards.

But the CEO of Kenya Film Commission, the organisation mandated to see into the development of film in the country said things are about to change with the Finance bill announced by Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich last June.

Last May, the Cabinet Secretary for Sports, arts and the Culture went on a charm offensive and hosted a red carpet event for Hollywood producers in Los Angeles in a successful attempt to wrest a new film on Archaeologist Dr Louis Leakey from the South Africans

"We're bigger, better and with more incentives, we're ready for business in the film sector, forget South Africa and welcome to Kenya," said Wario at the event.

Wario said the country is poised to enact new incentives that would provide up to a 32 per cent rebate to filmmakers.

Currently South Africa offers a 30 per cent reduction in qualified film expenses for foreign productions according to Nyanja.

"Mr. Speaker, To enable this latent industry to attain a competitive advantage like the rest of the leading film production destinations and create jobs for our youth, I propose to exempt from withholding tax all payments made by foreign film producers to actors and crew members," announced Rotich in the budget.

He added that VAT in respect of goods and services purchased for use in the film making will be exempt and proposed to set up a fund for rebating of expenses by producers in this industry.

The problem is, since this announcement the modalities for implementing this measure had not been worked out.