Young graduates have been asked to strive hard towards achieving their dreams after completing school.

Dr. Samuel Anyetei Nai, Rector of the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI), who made the call at the Sixteenth graduation ceremony of NAFTI in Accra, said the graduates should not be deterred by challenges in the world.

“There are challenges out there in the world, but do not be deterred in your quest to succeed. Success would require hard work and persistence,” he said. Dr Nai encouraged the students to “remember that those we admire today, did not think of themselves as heroes at that time. They had a vision and a commitment to achieve their goals and did not waiver in their quest.”

He urged the students to follow their dreams and make a positive contribution towards the progress of film and television not only in Ghana, but on the African continent.

He said it was worth noting that over the years, NAFTI graduates had made positive contributions to both the local and international film scene.

“The recent history of Film and Television Awards such as FESPACO 2016 and the 2016 Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice have names of our graduates as nominees and as winners,” Dr. Nai noted.

He said currently, however, the video film industry in Ghana was going through serious challenges, and NAFTI as a training institution had a part to play in finding ways of addressing them.

The NAFTI Rector observed that education of players in the film industry was key to ensuring a viable film industry in the country, adding that, plans were far advanced to take training to those outside Accra, starting from the regional capitals.

Dr. Nai said the school was also making efforts towards getting a loan facility from the government of Ghana, to undertake a total infrastructural revamping of NAFTI, as part of its mission to make a positive impact on the television and film industry in the country.

Professor Mohamed Salifu, Executive Secretary, National Council for Tertiary Education, said in a speech read on behalf of Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Education that the government was committed to supporting the film and television sector in particular, and the creative arts industry in general, because of their potential to create jobs and to help modernized the country.

“It is therefore gratifying to observe that NAFTI continues to make significant strides in this direction, despite the financial challenges the Institute has faced for some time now,” he said.

Prof. Salifu noted that in spite of challenges, management of the institute had been able to acquire new state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment within the past year to boost the quality of training saying, “my understanding is that the institute has invested no less than two million Ghana cedis largely out of your GetFund allocation on this new training facility.”

He described the move as a welcomed development and urged the management of NAFTI to continue to position the institute among the best institutions of higher learning in film and television and the creative arts, within the sub-region of Africa.

“I wish to assure you of the ministry’s continuous support for you to even be more impactful in living up to your mission,” Prof. Salifu said.

He advised the new graduates to keep abreast with modern trends of technological and creative changes, and work with the same yearn, “which you demonstrated in achieving your degrees”.

Prof. Salifu said they should be guided by the high professional and ethical principles in the presentation of media content, and demonstrate their sensitivity to the development of Ghana and its cultural values.

“It is my expectation that the knowledge and skills you have acquired, manifest clearly in your professional practice, and stand out clearly from the rest,” he said.

A total of 102 students passed out with 38 graduating with Bachelor of Film and Art(BFA), 32 with Diplomas and 32 with Certificates.

The break down for the BFA entails one first Class Honours, Nine Second Class Upper Division, 26 Second Class Lower Division and two Third Class Division.

The occasion was chaired by Prof. Kofi Agyekum, Dean, School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon.

Established by the government of Ghana in 1978, NAFTI is a school of higher education in film and television.

By a special affiliation arrangement in 1998, with the University of Ghana-Legon, NAFTI upgraded its programs to the degree level in the areas of film direction, television production, motion picture, photography, and a number of other areas.