By Yemisi Suleiman

Ascend Studios Foundation (ASF) has announced its partnership with His Imperial Majesty The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Swedish Embassy in Nigeria, VIACOM CBS Africa and The YD Company as some of the organisations supporting this year’s Women in Film and TV International (WIFTI) Summit, set to take place in Africa for the first time.

In anticipation of the forthcoming event,
WIFTI has appointed Ascend Studios Foundation (ASF) as the implementing partner for the WIFTI Summit 2022.

Ascend Studios Foundation led by Inya Lawal is working closely with WIFTI lead by Helene Granqvist, Women in Film and TV Africa (WIFTA), Forum of Women in Film and TV (FWIFT) led by Joke Silva to build alliances and partnerships with local and international organizations, to support the Summit
to its maximum potential.

The summit is a bi-annual event that provides women an enabling environment, access to film and TV funds, reduces gender stifling barriers, and positions women in places of power within the entertainment industry.

Themed “Telling Unique Stories with Film, Music, and Dance”, this summit aims to incorporate the aspects of film, music, and dance to advance the funding, creation, and distribution of stories that reflect the thriving, socially aware film culture around the world. To achieve this, various multicultural diversity in film, music, and dance will be established to serve reflection of various cultures of arts, stories, and values.
The Summit will train thousands of creatives, have a significant international presence, and host attendees, partners, and film offices from all over the world. The Summit will also feature an incredible line-up of A-list Film/TV Actors, Musicians, Dance players, as well as International and Local organizations interested in the creative economy.

As a part of the event, there will be networking and facilitated training sessions, both in-person and virtually, by industry experts with significant aspects of the industry to learn, while also introducing new trends, strategic thinking, and business models to drive the ever-evolving entertainment industry.

Speaking at the Courtesy Visit held at the palace of the 51st Ooni of Ife, the Secretary of WIFTI, Inya Lawal, commented on the significance of these partnerships. “It is such an honor to have His Excellency – the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, as well as other executive members of WIFTI from Germany and Swede; the Country Manager for VIACOMCBS Africa and the CEO of the YD Company at today’s Courtesy Visit to His Imperial Majesty – The Ooni of Ife. Having this summit in Nigeria is truly reflective of the grace Africa carries and the potential that is yet untapped. I look forward to attendees from all over the world experiencing the beauty and richness of our culture in person; and fostering business relationships” she stated.
In addition, the 51st Ooni of Ife, the imperial majesty Ogunwusi Adeyeye Enitan, expressed his support for causes related to women empowerment, especially Nigerian women. He went ahead to thank the WIFTI Summit team for bringing this event to Nigeria.

Bada Akintunde Johnson, the Country Manager for VIACOMCBS Africa, emphasized the need to tell untold African stories highlighting that VIACOMCBS Africa over the last 16 years on the continent has stood strongly for empowering young Africans and amplifying their amazing stories to the rest of the world through their channels like MtvBase and BET as well as the MTV Africa Music Awards.

Partnering with WIFTI is another way to demonstrate our belief in crafting and sharing a positive African narrative to the world through the exploits of women in film and television.

Carl Michael, the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, while highlighting the Swedish government’s commitment to this initiative, he explained that the government is always interested in women’s empowerment programs and WIFTI is the right platform for the cause, being a major organization. He also added “Economically, countries struggled with the pandemic and lots of women lost their businesses. This is a great opportunity for those in Nollywood to solve some logistics concerns while they journey through the path of recovery from the pandemic economically.”

The President of WIFTI, Helene Granqvist thanked the Ooni of Ife for the warm reception and partnership opportunity to promote film and TV in Nigeria.

She added, “At WIFTI, we have three important pillars Connection – to connect all members; Knowledge – to share knowledge, experiences, and industry information; and Visibility – to be seen and acknowledged. The start of the Forum of Women In Film and Television in Nigeria is great and very symbolic for carrying out this vision to the rest of the world.”

Giving the final note at the courtesy visit, Nicole Ackermann, President, the German chapter of WIFTI, revealed “we are building the bridge from Germany to Nigeria where you can share your story about the rich culture and heritage in Nigeria and Africa. So, we are building this bridge to bring everyone together through the vision of WIFTI”.