As Malawi’s film industry steadily claims its space within the national creative economy, few platforms have played as consistent and catalytic a role as the Malawi Film Awards and Gala, organised by the Film Association of Malawi (FAMA).
Now in its fourth year, the programme has evolved from a modest film festival into a multifaceted national institution that celebrates excellence, nurtures talent, and convenes industry stakeholders across borders.
In this conversation, Philemon Kuipa, Director of the Malawi Film Awards and Gala, reflects on the programme’s tangible impact—from raising professional standards and amplifying authentic Malawian storytelling to fostering inclusion, innovation, and international visibility.
As the 2025 edition heads to Lilongwe on 18th and 19th December, the interview offers timely insight into how the Awards have shaped the industry’s past and how they are strategically positioning it for a more sustainable, inclusive, and globally connected future.
- Industry Development: Since its inception, how has the Malawi Film Awards contributed to raising professional standards and institutional discipline within the Malawian film industry?
So, the Malawi Film Festival, which is now the Malawi Film Awards and Gala, has been very instrumental in terms of raising professional standards in two ways. One, from the fact that filmmakers can up their game in terms of the quality of their production because they know that they will be judged by both the judges and the audience. Because when we are having the awards, there is a section of awards which are generally given by or determined by the jury, a member of the jury.
And there’s another part where the public also judges the work that we are doing. So, the filmmakers are now aware that their film is not just for themselves, but also for the audience that they are making those films for. That’s the one aspect.
The second aspect is the fact that during the festival, we do incorporate workshops. And these workshops are within the field of the creative sector, film, and also we’ve started including the aspect of entrepreneurship because we want our filmmakers to understand the business side of film. So, the awards or the film festival have been instrumental in that aspect.
- Recognition and Career Growth: In what concrete ways have past award recipients benefited in terms of visibility, career progression, and access to opportunities?
Yes, so we’ve noted that most of the awardees, after they receive the award, people recognise them. I’ll give an example of one, Innocent Manila, who got several awards in two consecutive years last year, the last festival and the previous year after that. After that moment, he’s been all over; he’s the talk of the town because of various roles that he’s able to take in various productions, both commercial and general film productions. So, yes, these have a very significant impact in terms of improving people’s recognition and also their disability, and also expose them to other opportunities.
- Cultural Representation: How has the programme influenced the way Malawian stories, identities, and cultural values are represented on screen?
Most of the time, our Malawian stories are told by other people. I’ll give an example of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. It had an element of Malawian representation, but when you’re looking at it, it’s also blending in with some sort of European culture, sort of, and also some other African culture in terms of a language and all that, because you could tell that this is the Chichewa that Malawians don’t speak, and this is the Chichewa that somebody who just came in Malawi could speak. So, such kind of thing, bringing in that diversity also.
But then we are talking about the Malawi Film Festival trying to lead the way in terms of challenging filmmakers to bring in the authentic Malawian stories embedded with our culture and values. So, I should say we’ve seen that quite a lot in the productions that have been done, and also not forgetting the idea of the Global Village. As a Global Village, we’re able to see how we are blending in with other cultures as well.
- Youth and Emerging Talent: What impact have the Awards had on encouraging young and emerging filmmakers to enter and remain in the industry?
I would say we’ve seen a lot of improvements. We’ve seen a lot of young people rising when they get some awards. We’ve noted recently, for example, the series “Trap”. It has this one actress, Yvonne, and we’ve seen that she’s been pushing, pushing even beyond the “Trap”. And one feature film that was just being released recently, Chitomero, they had to pick her. So, you see, when these youngsters are exposed to these kinds of platforms, they feel encouraged, and they feel like they can do more. And the awards act as a drive.
We’ve seen how even the veteran filmmakers also, how they have now started pushing for the young ones, mentoring them, nurturing their talent because of these awards, because they know that if they are put up there, they receive the flowers that will be beyond just the actress or the actor that they are mentoring. So, the awards are very crucial and instrumental.
- Quality and Innovation: Have you observed noticeable improvements in storytelling, technical quality, or innovation in films submitted over the years?
We’ve seen that to be amazing. I’ll give an example of the production that I was part of. We’ve seen an interesting innovation in terms of how they are telling their story, the movie called “Scare”. So, you could see how they drive their characters and also hook the audience to go with them in that experimental film. So, we’ve seen a lot of improvements.
We’ve seen a lot of improvement because I think “Scare” is one of the first thrillers that Malawi has ever produced, and it is the genre that mostly wouldn’t see on our screens. But we’ve seen that because one is eyeing this festival and they want to bring in something unique, and it paid off, actually, for the Scare because it was the best short film during the International Film Festival. So, awards really encourage people to improve and innovate in how they are telling their story and how they are engaging their audience.
Philemon Kuipa, Director of the Malawi Film Awards and Gala
- Industry Unity and Networking: How has the Gala Night functioned as a meeting point for filmmakers, policymakers, sponsors, and creatives across sectors?
Yes, the gala has been one of the places where we are uniting not only Malawians but also other people from other countries. This time around, we are talking about people from Zambia who are already in the country, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Nigeria. These are the ones that have already confirmed, and they are coming, and some of them will be coming today. So, in terms of networking, it’s a good platform, and this gala in particular is also uniting these people, filmmakers, who will do a short production together in Malawi during this particular time. So, it’s really, really a good platform where people network.
- Gender and Inclusion: To what extent has the programme advanced inclusion, particularly for women and underrepresented voices in film production and leadership?
This Gala is unique. This Gala is very unique because we have created awards that will really, really support women and also support inclusion. For example, when we’re talking about inclusion, most of the time we’re just talking about inclusive of women categories and also women filmmakers highlighting them. But this time around, we’ve gone beyond that because we’ve added a section where we’re doing special awards for people with disability. So, this is a huge, huge improvement in terms of film awards in Malawi, Film Festival, under FAMA. And also, apart from that, we’ve also added a special, special jury where most of the time when you’re looking at the series that we have, we normally give them the people’s choice award.
But this time around, we said, okay, those series that were nominated, let’s select one from the jury. They should recognise one. That also, it’s also an inclusion because we want to add that kind of professionalism. So, we also set up special awards, about 13 awards for people, for refugees, people at Zaleka Refugee Camp. So, this is a great, great improvement from the rest of the festivals that we have met. And we have seen that even in terms of leadership, it has been overwhelming.
I mean, it has been noticed rather. You’d see that the FAMA president is a female. And one of the films that has received awards this year in several festivals is Gunless Soldier, which was produced by a woman. So, that alone tells us that we are going to the right, I mean, we are going in the right direction in terms of empowering women and also promoting inclusivity.
- Economic and Creative Industry Value: How do the Malawi Film Awards contribute to the broader creative economy, including employment, partnerships, and investment interest?
Maybe in terms of individual creative economy, we are still taking baby steps, I should say, because no noticeable creative economy that has been made in terms of a film, I would point out maybe two or three, rather, Welcome to Maula, which was sold out. Is the President Dead? Although it had some hiccups, and also, School Days. These are some of the films that have made a lot of money through films. Also, these films had a huge audience, and they created opportunities for various people. And people were paid, and they got something in their pockets.
So, baby steps. But yes, we are not where we were supposed to be, but we are not where we were. We have moved. We have improved. In terms of partnership, we’ve seen the corporate organisations coming in to support the industry. And noticeable would be, I would mention Goshen City, which has just pumped in over 100 million to the Film Association of Malawi.
They gave us 40 million, and now they’re pumping in another huge sum of money just to support the industry. And we’ve seen organisations like DSTV, of course, they’re directly connected to films, but every year they’re giving us support. We’ve seen even Malawi Airlines coming in to support us with air tickets. We’ve seen even industry players coming in, Lab 20, giving us over 32 million just to support the Malawi Film Award Gala. We’ve seen Sound Addict coming in. So, in terms of corporate support, yes, Odd Mutual came in.
Even some development partners like the EU. EU is not the first time; they’ve been our supporter for quite some time. So, yes, the Malawi Film Awards and Gala has been a platform where partnerships thrived also.
- International Visibility: What role has the Awards played in positioning Malawian cinema within regional and international film circuits?
Yes, as I said, we are having several filmmakers close. And Zimbabwe alone is bringing in more than 10 people. And Zambia also, I think, is bringing in nine, rather than 10 as well. And South Africa is bringing in two. Nigeria is bringing in eight. That alone, the news that they’ll take from here, I think, will go a long way. And these are big people. These are big names that have been so instrumental in the creative industry.
- Sustainability and Future Impact: Looking ahead, how does FAMA intend to strengthen and expand the impact of the Malawi Film Awards as a long-term national institution?
Yes, by now you can attest to the fact that the Malawi Film Awards and Gala have been consistent. This is our fourth year. We haven’t stopped since we started. And we haven’t stopped. We are still moving. We are still going forward. So, that should tell us that we are here to stay and we are here to improve by the day. And this year, it’s a testament to that because we have seen a huge shift.
We are not just celebrating films alone, but all other creative ecosystems. We are talking about fashion. We are talking about makeup. We are talking about sound. We are talking about cinematographers, directors, actors, content creators, those who are just on TikTok creating reels and Facebook and all that. We are improving every single day. Even in terms of budgeting, we’ve never done such kind of a huge budget.
Outro
What emerges clearly from this conversation is that the Malawi Film Awards and Gala is no longer merely an annual celebration, but a living ecosystem—one that rewards excellence, challenges complacency, and steadily expands the boundaries of Malawian cinema. Through deliberate focus on quality, youth mentorship, gender and disability inclusion, cross-border collaboration, and corporate partnerships, FAMA has built a platform that mirrors the industry’s aspirations while confronting its realities.
The Awards’ consistency, growing scale, and widening creative scope signal an institution that is learning, adapting, and deepening its national relevance. As filmmakers, sponsors, policymakers, and audiences converge in Lilongwe this December, the Gala stands not just as a night of accolades, but as a statement of intent: that Malawian film is here to stay, to grow, and to speak with its own confident voice to the world.
