ADDIS ABABA- Ethiopian Film Makers Association (EFMA) announced that Ethiopia’s film sector has been hit hard by COVID-19 pandemic aside from facing serious shortages of technological devices.
President EFMA Desalegn Hailu told The Ethiopian Herald that the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic together with the lack of digital assistance has had a profound effect on the film sector in the Ethiopia.
Most people used to visit cinema houses, but now due to the virus, all the cinemas are shut down temporarily, as to him.
Tough study needs to be done to know the financial losses of cinema houses due to the lockdown , it is estimated to be 100 million Birr, he noted.
“Although the country’s film sector has not yet grown, lack of advanced technology devices has been the biggest hurdle for many years.”
Regarding technological devices , he said : “ The US film industry is making use of digital technologies as the result the industry is currently growing fast while other sectors are hit hard by COVID-19.”
These days various film producers in developed countries are producing broad range of movies using digital tools from home and they are also selling films through online system, he added.
The Ethiopian Herald May 12/2020
BY ESSEYE MENGISTE
