Constitution and Establishment of Film Policy

Ethiopia had its first-ever film policy on November 3, 2017. the trio Ethiopian Film Makers Association, Alatinos Ethiopianist Film Makers Association, and Ethiopian Film Producers Association are highily participated in the preparation of the policy. Throughout the last 40 years, prominent filmmakers and Institutions like The Ethiopian Film Corporation were voicing their vision of Ethiopia to have a film policy for progressive development. But works of drafting, polishing, and getting approval for the film policy is a recent phenomenon. In 2014, The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, legendary film figures, and representatives of Film Associations sat at Adama, Ethiopia, and drafted a film policy. In 2016, Ministry of Culture and Tourism together with representatives from Film Associations, and non-association aligned filmmakers came to an agreement to give the Ethiopian Film Policy a priority and make it have a final shape. The ministry established a task force. The task force worked for six consecutive months day and night to give the Ethiopian Film Policy its final polished form. the followings are the main activities of policy preparation: - A Policy expert gave training for the task force, - The task force discussed in sub-teams and together as a force inquired deeply on every article of the film policy, - Assemblies were organized with the presence of all representatives of the Ethiopian film society and gave their critical remarks, - The task force and the general assembly remarks a document and submitted to the Ministry. The document was a rationale stating what the final version of The Ethiopian Film Policy should look like, - The Ministry invited the the film associations, inquired, discoursed, and debated on the final version of the policy, Finally Ministry of Culture and Tourism presented it to the Council of Ministers and it got an approval.