By BAMUTURAKI MUSINGUZI

More by this Author

Esther Kavuoa Sammy, a filmmaker from Uganda, has won the grand prize in the Nativ Shorts Creatives Competition 2024 organised by IAMNATIV.

This year’s edition saw participation of 12 talented filmmakers across Africa, each presenting their vision of “The African Content Creator in 2050” in a 60-second film and 25 evocative photographs.

The finalists were chosen after submitting a short film and photographs on “Family, Food, Flavour,” encapsulating their creative perspectives. Under the guidance of industry mentors, they developed their final pieces, which were evaluated by a panel of esteemed judges and social media votes.

Esther won the first prize, $1,500 cash for her short film, The Power of Community, which looks at the benefit of a mother and father in a home and how a father is involved in raising the child doing tasks that women are mainly seen to do, and the positive impact this has on children’s development.

Read: African animated sci-fi series honoured with multiple awards

This film stirred the emotions of the jury to place it as the winner.

“Elated is an understatement. Your kind words are a great encouragement that will propel me forward to greater works and greater heights. Thank you so much for the great honour and opportunity of being named NATIV’s 2024 winner,” Esther posted on her social media LinkedIn page.

The second prize winner is Ugochukwu Victory Chimcheta from Nigeria, who received $1000 cash for “A Tale of Cheta and a Night.”

“A Tale of Cheta and a Night” is a thriller in a tin can and uses the element of surprise to showcase the family and the love a father has to always project them but it goes wrong. It incorporates a thriller with humour in just 60 seconds.

The joint third prize winners are the Nigerians Adekunle Blue for “The Griot” and Bern Castle for “Roots,” who shared $500.

“The Griot” goes into the past and the importance of the Griot that tells our history in Africa. Looking back to move forward through the tapestry of our African fabric and the stories held there.

“Roots” looks at food that brings a family together. This film showcases how with food and flavour the family is happy and cohesive all elements are for the family to thrive. A commercial for the African family in all is colour and glory.

All the cash prizes are for career development.

The Amsterdam and Kampala-based platform IAMNATIV is an online marketplace connecting African media crew and creatives with global media buyers. Co-founded by the British Ugandan entrepreneur Caroline Kamya, an ex-BBC and HBO award-winning filmmaker, IAMNATIV aims to bridge the gap between African creatives and international clients.

The purpose of the competition is to highlight and nurture African creative talent, providing them with opportunities for mentorship, networking, and global exposure.

“The NATIV Shorts Creatives Competition 2024 has once again shown the immense talent within Africa. We are thrilled to support and celebrate these filmmakers and look forward to their future contributions to the global media landscape,” Kamya said.

The 2024 mentors were Ian Watts (award-winning Director of Photography, U.K.), Neil Henry (Founder and Executive Producer at Irrie, The Netherlands), Ama Dadson (Founder and CEO AkooBooks, Ghana), and Dotun Ololade (award-winning filmmaker, Nigeria).