Shonga film wins Global Film Award

Global acclaim again came the way of Kwara State’s Shonga Farm Project when ‘A Farm for Africa’, a film on the initiative, won a Grand Prix at the International Festival of Corporate Film and Television on Ecology and Sustainable Development, held in Deauville, France on Thursday.
The film, which was commissioned by former Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who also initiated the Shonga Farms Project during his tenure, beat off tough competition from seven other entries from European, American and Asian producers to win the Grand Prix Award in the Agriculture and Green Economics category of the award ceremony also referred to as Deauville Green Awards.
The award ceremony, attended by film makers from across the globe and senior French Government officials, was the climax of the three-day festival during which 200 entries, including ‘A Farm For Africa’, were screened.
Receiving the award, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication to Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, said the Grand Prix Award was a further validation of Senator Saraki’s unparalleled vision for agro-reform, which saw him inviting the 13 Zimbabwean farmers to pioneer commercial farming in Kwara State and of his determination to bring the Shonga success story to a wider audience.
Akorede said Ahmed’s decision to sustain and scale up the vision of commercial farming was a demonstration of the policy’s strength and a testimony to the benefits of continuity.
He thanked the people of Shonga for contributing to the success of the commercial farm project and Matt Reid, the film’s producer, for translating Saraki’s laudable initiative into such a powerful film.
Also speaking at the ceremony, Jean-Charles Pentecouteau, President of the awards, said the quality and the rich content of ‘A Farm For Africa’ stood it out in the category, adding that he was not surprised that the 12-man jury gave the film a nod for one of five Grand Prix at the Awards.