A new dawn for film making industry in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam. The government has introduced new regulations in the film-making industry, resolving operation costs, copyrights and financial challenges.
With the new regulations, film-makers will pay only Sh50, 000 to get a filming permit instead of forking out Sh500,000 for the same purpose.
Permanent secretary of the ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports Dr Hassan Abbasi said yesterday that the reduction of filming permit fees is meant to help actors  and film-makers to produce many movies of high quality.
“I want you (film-makers) to use the remaining Sh450, 000 on improving the quantity and quality of your films. Make sure colours, sounds and locations are attractive enough to convince people to like what you do,” he said yesterday when receiving the Copyright Society of Tanzania (Cosota) from the ministry of industry and Trade.
The new regulations have also re-established the ‘Arts and Cultural Bucket Fund’ that will provide financial support to the artists.
“We (ministry) understand that the majority of artists are not bankable. The bucket fund will provide financial support,” Dr Abbasi noted.
The film board and the particular ministry will form a committee responsible for copyrights and contracts, making sure that the actors get what they deserve.
“The job has begun. We traced fake contracts and saved more than Sh200 million,” he said.
Among the money saved, according to him, Sh65 million went to a family of a popular comedian well known as Majuto and Sh20 million to Steve Kanumba’s family.
Eventually, there was an official handover of Cosota from the ministry of Industry and Trade to the ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports.
The move was applauded by artists, who harboured hope that their long time copyright outcry would come to an end.