Delta International Film Festival (DIFF)
…Our Language, Our Culture
Festival Theme
Funding Challenges for Indigenous Language Films in Distressed Economies
Vision
Delta International Film Festival (DIFF) is a 7-day cultural feast of films and business, featuring Film Festival, Economic Summit, Business exhibitions, Networking Dinners and Tour Trips to the wonder places in Delta state, Talent competition built for TV, Filmmaking Skill Acquisition Training programme, Documentaries and many more. These are all designed to promote big business and the business of filmmaking in Delta State with a view to attracting more business opportunities to the state.
Mission
Delta International Film Festival (DIFF) is a Youth-focused feast of films, both feature, short and documentary. It is a discovery platform for youth film talents and new entrants into the art of filmmaking. Students of film studies in any tertiary institution have the unique opportunity to exhibit their films and enter same for the film awards in any language of their choice. Established filmmakers also have their unique section to shine and be recognised. There will be Delta Film Awards (DFA). There will be a unique platform for indigenous language films both for screening and awards.
Training (Masterclass) sessions for young people interested in filmmaking will be the focus of Delta International Film Festival (DIFF). Youth and indigenous languages are some of DIFF’s major focus apart from the regular film fair. It’s a festival that is nurturing in nature and that builds capacity among youths in all areas of filmmaking: From Script to Screen! Indeed, DIFF is organised on the reputation of being a Developmental Film Festival. Industry big wigs will train young ones in the art of filmmaking to equip them for the future.
Delta International Film Festival (DIFF) and its counterpart awards system (Delta Film Awards – DFA) will serve as talent factory for big producers to discover youth talents in filmmaking who will be the future of the industry. So DIFF and DFA have the combined purpose of a film festival, a film market and a platform for talent discovery and training.
Unique Approach
Delta International Film Festival (DIFF) shall work collaboratively with the Ministry of Trade and Commerce, Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism and the Office of the Governor to host Nigeria’s corporate industry leaders and film icons both local and international levels. Our major host cities are Asaba and Warri respectively. Others emerging cities are Agbor, Abraka, Ozoro, Sapele, Bomadi, will also have a taste of festival programming, etc.
Already, there’s a vibrant filmmaking culture and community based in Delta State capital, Asaba. Although largely unstructured at the moment, it is the business of Delta International Film Festival to set the tone in fine-tuning it for effective delivery of world class films with partnership with Hollywood and Brazilian filmmakers.
DIFF shall honour legendary and pioneering filmmakers like the late Ifoghale Amata, Chief Eddie Ugbomah, Chico Ejiro and Enebeli Enebuwa. Also, those who came after them and are still working to make Delta proud culturally will be honoured. They are Richard Mofe-Damijo, Opa Williams, Zeb Ejiro, Peter Ejiro, Emeka Ossai, Zack Amata, Fred Amata, Ruke Amata and Jeta Amata, Ufuoma McDermott, Alex Eyengho, Zik Zulu Okafor, Tessy Mukoro Daniels, Omoefe Kingsley, etc. They all hail from Delta State and have continued to give our dear state a prominent name in the global filmmaking and culture arena.
The festival is an opportunity to celebrate these cultural icons and further entrench filmmaking culture in the state. The festival serves the purpose of employment generation and youth engagement, thereby reducing crime rate in Delta State.
Asaba Economic Summit
Theme
Harvest in Delta: Optimising Opportunities in Oil and Non-Oil and Gas Sectors
Delta International Film Festival will explore the nexus between film business and corporate business proper. To achieve this, Nigeria’s business community will interface with filmmakers to connect the missing link and close the gap that has kept them apart since the evolution of Nollywood, as a business model.
Apart from this, Asaba Business Summit is an opportunity to investors across Nigeria and beyond to explore the vast business opportunities in Delta State. This ranges from oil & gas, tourism, farming, fishing, transportation (water), etc.
With a talented and resourceful youthful population, Delta is uniquely positioned to attract big businesses. With government creating a friendly and crime-free Delta society in all cities, towns and villages, Delta becomes the business bride investors need to see and make their investment decisions. But this can only happen when investors’ eyes are opened to the numerous opportunities that abound.
Welcome to Asaba Business Summit – where harvest is almost due!
Command Performance
Command performance of award-winning play, Iredi War by a former lecturer of drama at Delta State University, Abraka, late Prof. Sam Ukala.