Cinema: State Pledges Strategic Dev’t Funding

The Minister of Arts and Culture, Bidoung Mkpatt, has pledged to adopt a new working method to secure dedicated State funding for Cameroon’s cinema sector, acknowledging that the time has come to address long-standing challenges in film production, infrastructure and distribution. He made the remarks on April 27, 2026 in Yaounde, during an audience granted to a delegation of distinguished participants who attended the Cameroon International Film Festival (CAMIFF). The delegation, which included the American actor Blair Underwood, his wife Josey Underwood, Germaine Kang, Nshanji Edmund Obed, and Cameroonian-Nigerian actress Prisma James, was led by Gilbert Agbor, founder and Chief Executive Officer of CAMIFF. The delegation was received shortly after CAMIFF drew the curtains on its 2026 edition on Saturday, April 25, 2026 in Buea, South West Region. The audience provided an opportunity for the CAMIFF promoter to present a brief report on the week’s activities, as well as key challenges facing the country’s film and audio-visual sector. Addressing the creative professionals, the Minister affirmed that all projects raised by stakeholders-from cinematographic production to the construction of cinema halls and distribution networks, fall squarely within the remit of the Ministry of Arts and Culture in the field of cinema. The Minister identified the core issue as one of process rather than policy. “The State has a methodology for developing a budget to address the challenges facing the sector’s development,” he said. “In the case of cinematography, for instance, it can provide credit facilities to help clear the path forward. The challenge now is to establish a wor...