Accra, Oct. 24, GNA - The National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) at the weekend outlined a global film students and lecturers networking platform, for the development and exchange of ideas within the industry.

Mr Martin Loh, NAFTI Director told the Ghana News Agency in an interview, after the matriculation of 30 students for the 2009/2010 academic year that as a public institution of Higher Education in Film and Television Production, the global networking platform was to foster professional and academic excellence in film and television education. He said the Institute had maintained high level of performance over the years and had consequently drawn students from many parts of sub-Saharan Africa including Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gambia, Mali, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

"Thus, our graduates have been influential in shaping the film and television industry in Ghana and in Africa," he said. Mr Loh said as a pace-setter in film and television education in sub-Saharan Africa, the institute was a premier full member of the prestigious and renowned International Association of Film and Television Academies and Universities.

He said the Institute recognising its unique role in the development and propagation of African culture, encouraged students to develop their creative talents to be able to face the challenge of producing materials that reflected the spiritual and intellectual aspirations of Africa. He said the institute maintained high academic discipline and challenged the students' body to adhere to their oath of matriculation "as the institute would not hesitate to discipline any recalcitrant student". Mr Loh said NAFTI aspired to maintain a reputation for excellence in film and television education and to be a worldwide model for other regional institutions of higher education.

The NAFTI Director said the curriculum of the institute was designed to develop in the students' scholarly, creative and professional approach to film making and television production and would soon embark on educational tour of first and second cycle schools to tap young talents. He said for more than two years two students who failed to adhere to the school's academic code of conduct had been dismissed. Mr Loh commended the Minister of Information, for the instrumental role in bringing back "Time With NAFTI," on the screens of Ghana Television. Professor Love Akosua Anyidoho, Director of New York University, Ghana, who chaired the function asked students to take advantage of information, communication and technology, to enhance their academic development. Mrs Emelia Agyei-Mensah, on behalf of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana (UG), administered the Oath of Matriculation, which was witness by ministers of state, family relations, and allied media houses. The Institute offered three-year professional programmes, leading to the award of Diploma until 1999, when, in affiliation with the UG it commenced full-time four-year professional Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in addition to two-year Diploma programmes.

The two-year Diploma programmes are essentially intended for industry practitioners who wish to update their knowledge and skills. The fields of specialisation are: Film Directing, Television Production, Motion Picture Photography, Editing, Film Sound Production, Animation, and Art Direction.