Nation Media Group's NTV station has won the Kituo Halisi Award in the 2022 Kalasha International Film and TV Awards, as winners received good news of getting double the expected prize money.
Winners of this year’s Kalasha Awards were set to receive prize money of at least Sh100,000 each going by the cash received by previous winners, but they could now receive up to Sh200,000 each after Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba promised to double the amount.
The Kenya Film Commission (KFC) first introduced the awarding scheme of the winners during the 9th edition in 2019 where a total of Sh1.7 million was paid out as prize money.
Each category of the 35 winners walked home with a Cheque of Sh50,000 in 2019. The amount was then doubled on the 10th edition with a total distribution of Sh3 million disbursed to the winners.
Despite (KFC) remaining cagey on the prize money on the subsequent editions ever since, word has it that the commission has maintained the figure since 2020.
This year (the 12th edition of the awards) the prize money promises to be even heftier than the previous editions following chief guest Namwamba’s pledge to double the amount.
Sports, Arts and Youth Affairs Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba at NTV Studio by Sports on November 28, 2022.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
“We have doubled cash rewards for winners in all 39 categories this year as the first step in ensuring pesa mfukoni for artistes. We must unleash the full potential of the creative industry,” Namwamba said. This means that for every category, the winner will receive a sum of about Sh200,000.
Besides the prize money, all winners got goodies from the sponsors of the red carpet event held on December 3, 2022 at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, which included merchandise and products from Star Times, Real Me, and Dormans, and a gift bag from KFC.
Officiating the gala event, KFC Chief Executive Officer Timothy Owase expressed confidence that Kenya's film industry is on track in getting global recognition. This, he said, was a result of the vibrancy and commitment shown by content creators and industry players.
“The submissions we received this year have shown how much commitment and effort industry players are putting to ensure it remains steadfast.
“The number of submitted films for the 12th Edition of Kalasha Awards went up to 217 compared to 149 that were submitted in 2021. The additional 68 films show the hard work and extra effort the industry has put with regards to content creation,” Owase noted.
He added that the Commission has invested heavily in technology through its E-Film shop, and has also formed strategic partnerships geared towards promotion and growth of the sector. These strategic partnership programmes include seed funding.
“KFC’s Film Empowerment Programme provides film and video-related funding in the broad categories of Development Funding (of feature films, documentaries and TV concepts); Production Funding (of feature films and documentaries); Marketing and distribution Funding; Emerging Filmmakers Funding.”
In 2021, the Commission disbursed Ksh30 million which funded 14 locally produced films.
Additionally, the Commission says it has been undertaking capacity building programmes focused on strengthening the local film makers' professional skills and equipping them with information and skills which enables them to compete effectively in the local and international film environments.
The star studded event also attracted notable youthful politicians such as Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, the First daughters of Kenya and Zimbabwe Charlene Ruto and Tariro Mwashe.
It was good day in the office for celebrated filmmaker and content creator Abel Mutua and his business partner, actor and producer, Phillip Karanja. The two run Philit Productions, which produced Click Click Bang , and their team bagged a total of six awards—Best Viewer’s Choice Award (Feature Film), Best Make-up and Hair Style, Best Feature Film, Best Supporting Actor in Film, Best Lead Actor in Film for their work on Click Click Bang .
The winners were selected after a rigorous nomination process that ran from the August 24 to October 30, with 217 films submitted in 1,204 categories.
