The motivations, experiences and challenges of indigenous language filmmaking in Zambia

The nascent Zambian screen production industry has been on the rise. However, this recent growth and international recognition of Zambian films and television productions has been marked by a notable absence of indigenous language screen productions. This paper examines the indigenous language screen production landscape in Zambia, exploring the motivations for, experiences with, and challenges encountered in producing indigenous language films in the country. It aims to ascertain the motivations and obstacles creators face and to propose solutions for increasing the number of such productions. The study employed qualitative methods, including interviews with industry professionals and analysis of selected films. The findings reveal that the absence of indigenous language productions over the decades has been due to different factors, including a lack of funding for indigenous language productions, limited distribution networks, the lack of social media monetisation, and a perception that such films are not commercially viable. The study recommends increased funding and a shift in perception towards the commercial viability of indigenous language films, among other recommendations. This study contributes a unique Zambian perspective to the global discourse on indigenous languages in media, a perspective that has been notably absent in recent scholarship.