Information and communication technology minister Emma Theofelus has blocked the appointment of veteran film-makers Vickson Hangula and Marinda Stein as nominees to serve on the new board of the Namibia Film Commission (NFC).
The two were elected by members of the Filmmakers Association of Namibia (FAN) to serve alongside three members from the NFC.
The NFC board typically has five members, two which are elected by FAN members.
Theofelus said she made the decision after she learned that they previously served on the board.
“As an appointing authority, I believe that the film industry has grown these past few years and a crop of film-makers have sprung to the fore. It is for this reason that I requested the association to give me other names,” Theofelus said.
On 25 May, FAN held its first annual general meeting in five years, with 32 fully paid-up members participating in two elections and voting rounds to elect the FAN board for 2024-2025, as well as nominees to serve on the NFC board for 2024-2027.
The top seven candidates for the FAN board were Byron Joseph and Hangula, each receiving 18 votes (62,1%), followed by Innanoshe Goroh and Esther Beukes, each with 17 votes (58,6%), Tjuna Daringo with 14 votes (48,3%), Angelo Viringa with 13 votes (44,8%), and Armas Shivute Armas with 12 votes (41,4%).
For the NFC board, the top two main trustees elected were Stein with 12 votes (41,4%) and Hangula with 10 votes (34,5%).
The top two alternate trustees elected were Hangula with eight votes (27,6%), followed by Beukes and Ronald James, each with seven votes (24,1%).
Speaking to The Namibian yesterday, Hangula, who served on the board from 2010 to 2017, said the Namibia Film Commission Act does not prohibit any film representative from serving more than one term.
“There is no policy in the Namibia Film Commission Act against board members serving several terms. It is very sad. The industry has been dead for a while and we are trying to revive it. It was a decision made by the film-makers” Hangula said.
However, Theofelus said her office has not yet received complaints regarding her decision.
“However, if that is how they feel and this could raise some discord in the association or industry as a whole, I am responsible enough to seek the opinion of the government’s legal adviser, being the attorney general,” Theofelus said.
Hangula noted that FAN members voted for him because they have confidence in the work he has been doing in the industry.
“The membership had decided, perhaps because once again I single-handedly managed to bring everyone together to revive FAN, they felt I was one of the people that can steer the film industry to prosperity,” Hangula said.
Hangula said he helped revive FAN and the industry in 2010.
“After that I was voted to serve on the NFC board, I had literally activated the Film and Video Development Fund that led to the first first three short films projects in 2010-11, then seven short films and two documentaries in 2012, then the feature films in 2014 to present,” Hangula said.
Stein served on the NFC board from 2017 to 2020.
During this time, Stein said she helped restore the relationship between the NFC and industry, and left in place the terms of reference for a long-overdue film policy.
Stein said the manner in which the situation was dealt with by the FAN board does not instil trust.
“If the FAN board goes ahead and submits the new names without having engaged the membership while they had the time, we will have a situation where the main members are not mandated and there is only partial mandated representation (the alternatives). The board owes the membership an explanation,” Stein said.
FAN chairperson Byron Joseph said the association is still consulting and will provide a response in due time.
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