Pomp and colour as KALASHA Awards 2020 winners feted
The Kenya Film Commission has today presented trophies, monetary prizes and other partner-giveaways to all the winners of the Kalasha International Film and TV Awards 2020.
The 30 category winners that were announced at the Kalasha Awards Gala received cash rewards worth Kshs 100,000 each, an increase of 50 percent from last year, as the Commission marked the 10th edition of the coveted awards.
Speaking at the Nairobi Safari Club Hotel during a Winners and Sponsors Breakfast Meeting, Kenya Film Commission Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Timothy Owase, said he was impressed by the quality of the submissions and urged the winners to aim even higher next year as they document quality African stories. “Kalasha seeks to recognize talent and reward the best of the best accordingly,” Owase said. He called upon investors and key stakeholders to venture fully into the film industry.
Mr. Owase also appealed to the winners to personally embrace training and mentorship of upcoming artists so as to nurture talent from a young age. This is in line with two of the Commission’s initiatives namely: School Outreach Programme and Capacity Building Workshops.
The School Outreach Programme is establishing Film Clubs in Secondary Schools to discover talent and train high-schoolers in basic film production. On the other hand, the regional Capacity Building Workshops seek to empower upcoming filmmakers countrywide by equipping them with film production skills and techniques. This is through hands-on training with select industry professionals.
Also present during the fete was StarTimes Media Kenya Limited, whom the Commission has partnered with for the second year in a row. StarTimes Media Kenya Limited awarded the winners with TV Sets and complimentary gift hampers. Another partner this year, Empolos Hotel, awarded 5 winners with 2 nights’ full board accommodation at their hotel in Nakuru. Other partners were Communication Authority of Kenya (CA), Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and Daystar University.
Kalasha Awards is an annual event that recognizes and celebrates exceptional talent in the film and TV industry in Kenya. This year, a total of 1, 036 entries were received and this narrowed down to 30 winners. In the Special Category, Mr. David Campbell won the Lifetime Achievement Award and Citizen TV won the Kituo Halisi Award.
