Creating Sustainability in Kenyan Film industry: Regulatory and Commercial Challenges

Author Name(s):

Kennedy Njasi Simiyu

Abstract

Literature suggests that the Film Industry in any country needs proper support structures and models that enable it to operate efficiently and contribute positively to the country’s economy. Most of this literature focuses on Western countries which produce films that dominate the global film market. Because of a number factors that will be discussed later, countries in the global South have not been able to follow the structures and models that have succeeded in the West. Their markets are still dominated by films produced in the West. If this dominance is allowed to continue, the film industry of countries in the global South will continue to struggle to survive, thus employing trial and error methods. However, there are countries such as Nigeria and Ghana, where the film industry has flourished without necessarily following the Western structures and models. This paper examines structures and models of the Kenyan film industry in order to establish whether they are supportive or not. The paper reviews literature and draws lessons from Western countries, such as the USA, that have well-structured film policies and business models; as well as countries in the global South, such as Nigeria and Ghana, whose film industries have grown rapidly without much assistance from the government, non-governmental organizations and with weak to nonexistent regulatory frameworks. This comparison will help make recommendations for the Kenyan film Industry.

 Keywords

Sustainability, film industry, Regulatory and Commercial.