However, the narrative is changing now, as more talented players in the industry continue to quit in search of better opportunities in other fields. Some movie producers blame the new trend mainly on the paltry support the industry has been receiving over the years.
Modou Lamin Sowe, the chief executive officer of The Young Star’s Movie Production (YSMP), a team comprising talented young Gambians who venture into entertainment through acting in movies and dramas, said "most of the talented actors and actresses continue to quit the industry to find better opportunities in other areas."
Over the years, the movie industry has registered significant rise in young talented producers, actors and actresses, but, according to Sowe, “the industry is now exposed to a lack of support” from the relevant stakeholders.
The YSMP CEO said that as he continues to thrive in his production effort in The Gambia, he is of the strong conviction that he could produce better quality work if the necessary support is provided to his team.
Since its inception, CEO Sowe says, the YSMP team has produced several movies, from ‘Who to Blame’, to ‘The Twist’, ‘Mama Gambia’ and the list goes on.
Mr. Sowe has been producing movies in the industry for about a decade. And he is among the top movie producers of the smiling coast nation, whose movie –‘Who to Blame’- is trending on Amazon.
However, despite making significant gains, Mr. Sowe is not confident about the future of the country’s movie industry.
Though he started producing movies a decade ago, Sowe is still in need of the right materials to produce movies that will uplift the country’s movie industry.
He believes the authorities should empower the youth by providing more opportunities for them to enhance talents.
Corrigendum
In our Monday 21 November 2022 publication, we carried a story headlined: ‘GEA assures new state-of-the-art Embassy will not affect Monkey Park’.
In the story we inadvertently stated that a press release was issued by Gambia Environmental Alliance (GEA), however, it has been brought to our attention that it was not The Gambia Environmental Alliance (GEA) that made the statement but the Technical Due Diligence Committee hired by the United States Embassy in Banjul.
The statement should have read: “The US-technical due diligence delegates expressed that the new state-of-art building won’t affect the park and the wildlife habitat and they will ensure to cater new fruit source and water supply for the animals living there, from the map shown in their presentation and further stressed that the embassy will not reach to the beach area and will not affect the movement of the people within the area.”
The error is deeply regretted.
