MFDI 2000 Annual Report

Media for Development International
2000 Annual Report


In 2000, our main activity has been the completion and initial distribution of the feature film “Yellow Card.” It is on the theme of teenage responsibility, supported by Pathfinder International with funds from DFID, USAID/REDSO, and the Ford Foundation, as well as additional sponsorship from UPS, Air Zimbabwe and Western Union. MFDI has received a total of $1,276,367.60 (about two-thirds in 1999 and one-third in 2000) for this project, and we still expect another several hundred thousand in 2001.

This is the biggest and best film we’ve ever made. The World Premier was in Harare in April, and it was exciting!! The film played on all 6 screens of a 6-plex to over 1,000 people. The stars arrived in antique cars, and walked a red carpet through an enthralled, screaming crowd, with an announcer on a microphone and spotlights – all the trimmings! The film played on for 14 weeks in Harare, a new record! We also had premiers around Zimbabwe (Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare and Kwekwe), and then in Kampala, Nairobi, Lusaka and Dar es Salaam. A huge premier and roll out are planned for South Africa in April 2001 at school holidays, with between five and eight 35mm prints. Additional language versions are now being prepared in French (to be premiered at FESPACO in early 2001), Swahili (which premiered at the Zanzibar International Film Festival), Shona, Ndebele, Portuguese, and possibly Chichewa (for Malawi) and Pigeon English (for west Africa). We will be working in 2001 on major grass roots distribution campaigns in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Uganda. Also we have submitted a proposal to produce a TV series based on Yellow Card that we hope will be funded. The film played in festivals in France, Zanzibar, Zimbabwe, Carthage, Durban, Mill Valley USA, and the African Diaspora Festival in New York. In February, 2001 it is playing at the Los Angeles Pan African Film Festival, and FESPACO in Burkina Faso, and others are pending. It has won the People’s Choice Award at Zanzibar, and the Best Music award at the Zimbabwe International Film Festival, and has been chosen by the Council on Foundations in Washington, DC to be included in the few films that will be showcased to funders in several ways throughout 2001.

Besides this project in 2000, we've done a couple other things:

1. We did very little on the Peace Film project, but it is still in our plans. We are optioning the rights to a book, “Muzukuru” by Paul Hotz. We feel this would be a better basis for a script, showing the futility of war. We spent $791.61 for John Riber to go to New Jersey to meet with him and secure the options to the book.

2. We started providing support for the attendance of John and Louise Riber and Steve and Sally Smith at the 2001 FESPACO in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. This is the largest African film festival and takes place every other year. Steve and Sally have been to the last three FESPACOs in 1999, 1997 and 1995; and John Riber made it to the 1999, 1995 and 1993 events. We've had films in the last six FESPACOs. Also in 2001, we are sponsoring Krista Riber as a volunteer at FESPACO (per diem and airfare only). She will work there for a couple months in 2001.

3. In 2000, DSR2, Inc continued sales of our 80+ African social message video titles and grossed $28,035 in sales. Net profits were large enough to more than cover net the losses in 1999 and so MFDI will be getting a royalty payment in early 2001 of $1,434.16. DSR2 gives half of net profits to MFDI. DSR2 sells the videos at a very low price so we don’t aim for financial profits. We aim for maximum distribution, not financial profits. In 1998, we got a $5,663 royalty from DSR2.

4. We also continued our long-term support of Maasai communication efforts. We supported a 1,750 mile walk and speaking / awareness raising tour from Boston to Washington, DC to Chicago of Ledama ole Kina and provided $1,750 to his supporting non-profit, Maasai Educational Discovery which is focusing on supporting education of Maasai in Kenya.

5. We continued with follow on activities on our Access to Credit Media project. The two videos produced were aired in 1998 on PBS in the USA, but some continuing work was done, and many videos sold. MFDI received $303.97 for overhead costs from this project in 2000, on a total of an additional $6,238.67 in income. We remain with $6,612.99 in the bank which will be spent this coming year on follow-on activities and we expect this long term, very successful project to finish up in 2001.

6. Also this year we donated $450 to the Child Protection Society in Zimbabwe. We had gotten a $500 donation (MFDI kept $50 for overhead) from a DSR computer customer that liked what we were doing, and she wanted it spent on child welfare in Africa – so we funded the annual school fees for 23 Zimbabwean children.

7. Other than the costs mentioned above, MFDI spent $2,500 and got in a donation of $2,500 on making Shona and Ndebele language versions of “Neria.” Also we made an investment in re-mastering the Oliver Mutukudzi music of the “Neria” film and re-releasing it as a CD of $4,084.50 (and the second and final payment of $3,544.30 was spent in early 2001). It will be released in 2001, and we expect to make a financial profit on our investment as well as a social profit bringing home the messages of women’s rights. It is really exciting to see that Neria still is alive and well known in Zimbabwe. Oliver said that song is requested often and he plays it in almost every concert.

8. Office supplies and postage totaled only $10.03 this year. Accounting expenses were $1350, $150 of which was for Sally Smith’s time doing overall MFDI accounts, the rest was for our outside accountant doing the annual taxes. We spent $101.96 for a congratulatory advertisement in the supplement that MFD published in the Zimbabwe newspaper celebrating their first 10 years in business. MFDI spent $3,377.73 for Ribers to travel around the USA doing various MFDI related promotional work; and $5,856.84 for some of the costs of Steve and Sally to go to the Yellow Card premier in Harare, and attend the Enter-Education 2000 conference in Holland in September 2000. Office space and office equipment is donated by Steve and Sally Smith, and they and John and Louise Riber have donated their time.

So this year 2001, we expect to be mostly involved with “Yellow Card” promotion and distribution efforts. We also will continue our efforts to find funding for the Peace Film, and continue our support as needed for MFD/Zimbabwe in 1999. The Access to Credit Media project should wind down this year. We’ve also just started a project to record some Zimbabwe sounds to improve the collection at MFD’s sound studios in Zimbabwe, which along with their new Avid editing suite, are the best in Zimbabwe!