By Yunus S Saliu
Prominent Gambian filmmaker, Prince Bubacarr Aminata Sankanu has been unanimously elected, unopposed, as President of the Film Producers Association of The Gambia (FPAG). The election process described as transparent was supervised by officials of the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC).
The congress and election of the FPAG took place recently at RDD NCAC Annex along Kairaba Avenue.
Apart from electing Prince Bubacarr Aminata Sankanu as the President of FPAG, other elected members included Franklin C. Adim as Vice President, Tida Sanyang as Secretary-General, Abdoulie Khan as Public Relations Officer, Marie Marenah as Treasurer, Kayode Adeleke as ProgrammeCoordinator and Fatoumatta Jallow as Assistant Secretary.
Expressing gratitude to members for the trust and confidence bestowed upon him and his new team, Prince Sankanu, the newly elected President of FPAG encouraged more collaborations among stakeholders towards the common good, saying with FPAG being the recognized collecting bargaining group for the creative audiovisual sector, it stands to promote solidarity, standards, ethics and professionalism.
The FPAG new President expressed his desire to engage The Gambia Government, development partners, and visionary investors in establishing Gambian Film or Creative Village and reviving cinema culture with the construction of cinema halls in the country. “FPAG will also, encourage the creation of a Gambian Film Commission, operationalization of the Endowment Fund for the Arts, standardization of film training curriculum and completed films, among other plans,” he added.
“Anyone who wants to seriously make films in The Gambia or invest in Gambian film projects to consult us at FPAG for professional guidance and due diligence as we can outline the risks and opportunities necessary for informed decision-making. Ours is a nascent industry and we will continue to support filmmakers and enthusiasts in building their capacities accordingly. We invite all those interested in building careers in the cultural and creative industries especially in the film domain to join FPAG as more benefits await them.”
Mr. Sankanu, is the Deputy Government Spokesperson and an audiovisual communication expert has been lecturing Film Studies at the University of The Gambia (UTG) School of Journalism and Digital Media (SJDM) since 2019. Sankanu’sfilm-related qualifications include a Master’s Degree in Film Studies from the University of Stirling in Scotland, UK, and a Diploma in Digital Film and Amination from SAE Institute in Cologne, Germany.
As a pioneer in new Gambian cinema, Sankanu launched The Gambia’s first-ever “Cinekambiya International Film Festival (CIFF) in 2015 (https://cinekambiyafilmfestival.org/).” From 2017 to date he has produced over five groundbreaking Gambian feature films and documentaries on various societal issues including Female Genital Mutilation, discrimination of children with disability, and betrayal of trust among friends (http://www.youtube.com/@SanxaafiTV).
