WeOwnTV

12/03/2024

This GivingTuesday, Join Us in Illuminating Conversations on Race, Faith, and Healing
This GivingTuesday, support Darkness & the Light, a powerful video podcast series that tackles contemporary issues of race and faith, while exploring the lasting impact of the transatlantic slave trade.
Darkness & the Light delves into the complex intersections of race, morality, and Christian faith, exploring how historical trauma shapes modern identities and relationships. The series is hosted by Sierra Leonean filmmaker and pastor Arthur Victor Alexandia Pratt who is currently living in the US, in Maryland. The series fosters meaningful dialogue among African immigrants, African Americans, and all who consider America home—creating a space for healing, reflection, and growth together.
Your gift today can help us continue this vital work. Your donation will support the creation of more episodes, foster ongoing conversations about race and faith, and help guide individuals and communities toward a shared, compassionate future.
This GivingTuesday, be part of the movement to bridge divides, heal wounds, and illuminate the path to a more just and unified world.

"e;Darkness & the Light"e; is a thought-provoking video podcast series that examines contemporary race issues and their intersection with Christian faith, while also exploring the historical implications of the transatlantic slave trade. Hosted by celebrated Sierra Leonean filmmaker and past...

10/06/2024

Day 5 - Together we celebrate the journey and bounty of indigenous stories. Reciprocity Project Upstander Project

09/30/2024

Jonathan is making excellent progress on the post-production of his documentary, which delves in the journey of drug addiction. His focus on the editing process is bringing the narrative to life, as he carefully refines the emotional depth and intensity of the story. By enhancing the visuals and tightening his central conflict, Jonathan is creating a deeply impactful experience embody his true life story which is also the story of many other young people going through the similar challenges.

We are hoping to expand on this fellowship 2025, to ensure that we continue to transform lives through storytelling. Read more: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/weowntv-filmmaker-fellowship/updates/

09/21/2024

Over 15 film festival selections spanning the globe, we are excited. Join us in Hawaii for the Hawai‘i International Film Festival October 2-17.

📺 More upcoming screenings:
Montreal International Black Film Festival, September 24th to 29th

Mill Valley Film Festival, October 3-13, 2024, Mill Valley, California

London International Pan African Film Festival
(London PAFF), October 18-25 🎥

09/18/2024

The New Boats team hosted a screening in Makokonde. This strategic screening was in partnership with Safe Havens a local organization operating in the village. We screened in this particular village because it was once a vibrant fishing community, with an industry of many fishing boats and men and women employed. This vibrant fishing community has now changed course due to fish scarcity with many of those formally employed in the fishing sector turning to mangrove deforestation and sand mining in the village. The fish scarcity is a direct result of the unregulated and illegal industrial fishing close to their waters. Read more: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/the-new-boats/reports/

08/24/2024

“I photographed the project to show the needs of each community,” says Smart. “I [combined] photography with collage to show the identity and needs of each place because we visited so many different landscapes in Freetown alone—let alone the rest of Sierra Leone. It was almost like creating a three-dimensional portrait of each place and each person because it was important for me that the people who were photographed could look at the images and recognize themselves and their areas.”

The creative process was as intense as her travel itinerary. Smart would photograph a different community almost every day, and edit the images in the evenings. “I would do a selection of the pictures that I liked, and then from that selection I would start collaging. Sometimes we were too tired from traveling, but I reminded myself that—[considering the scale of] the project—it would be good to have the selection ready,” says Smart. The trip lasted from June to August, with the whole of September spent collaging.

A new book by visual artist Ngadi Smart chronicles the effects of water poverty on communities across the West African country.

08/22/2024

In Kroo Bay, a few dozen households now have new heat-reflective roofing sheets made from recycled plastics in a pilot programme – which will be expanded to cover 35% of residents across all informal settlements in Freetown. The sheets are being applied on to existing roofing sheets and on new buildings.

Temperature sensors are being used to capture data from the houses where the mirror sheets have been installed. And there is constant research, testing different techniques and technology to improve and scale up cooling within the informal settlements.

Initial results show homes in Sierra Leone’s capital fitted with heat-reflective roofing sheets can be up to 6C cooler

08/19/2024

At Adeyemi Ironmaster Premier of "Damage" Our prayer is for the Sierra Leone film industry to make the needed progress in the world. Congratulations Adeyemi Ironmaster.

07/10/2024

Our project Idriss Kpange Filmmaker Fellowship has been selected to receive matching funds TODAY on GlobalGiving - perfect timing as we are just $5000 short of our $35,000 goal. https://goto.gg/17778

20% match on donations from $100 - $499 (while funds remain)
30% match on donations from $500 - $749 (while funds remain)
40% match on donations from $750 - $1,000 (while funds remain)

Our goal is to raise enough funds to support one filmmaker for three years. The program will provide our fellows with funding for their projects, creative labs, one-on-one mentoring, professional development workshops, and networking opportunities.

Idriss was one of Sierra Leone's leading filmmakers and worked as a video journalist for Reuters, as well as for local networks. Idriss loved training young filmmakers and co-founded the Opin Yu Yi Human Rights Film Festival in 2012. He was dismayed that there was no professional filmmaking school in Sierra Leone & wanted to share his passion and knowledge. Tragically Idriss died on 15 February 2022 at 43 years old. WeOwnTV is proud to continue his legacy through this fellowship program.

The Fellowship will be supported by team members from the Opin Yu Yi Film Festival & WeOwnTV and filmmakers will have access to equipment and mentorship at the Freetown Media Centre in Freetown, Sierra Leone. If you have any questions about the project or this match opportunity please reach out to us directly at [email protected]

The WeOwnTV Filmmaker Fellowship is a regional film fund and professional development program supporting the production of independent documentaries directed by West African filmmakers living in the region. The program was founded in the wake of the West African Ebola outbreak. In 2022 we began rais...

06/04/2024

The first of our fellowship journey was to build Jonathan’s skills and understanding in developing a film synopsis for production. These essential elements involved crafting a captivating and concise film synopsis and understand the fundamentals of storytelling, character development, and plot structure in scriptwriting.

The training was designed to engage Jonathan in professional development mentorship by developing storytelling narrative through interactive sessions and practical exercises, Jonathan delved into the process of concise and compelling film synopsis. Emphasis was placed on the art of capturing the essence of a story, including its central conflicts, character motivations, and thematic significance giving Jonathan space and time to talk about his compelling story and hone these new skills. Read more:
https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/weowntv-filmmaker-fellowship/reports/
Barmmy Boy Mansaray

05/29/2024

"Sierra Leone has made significant progress for mothers, which is why we are now directing our attention to children's health across different life stages, employing a person-centered approach. This vaccination affirms the government’s commitment to the people of Sierra Leone, striving to eradicate illnesses, especially among children,” said Professor Senessie, the Deputy Minister of Health.

The Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and National Public Health Agency with support of WHO and other partners including UNICEF, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance have completed the first round...

04/19/2024

In Sierra Leone almost 59% of the population live in remote, rural areas. Roads may be non-existent or in bad condition, making it very difficult for rural dwellers to access healthcare. This is one of the key reasons why COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country are low.

During an innovative vaccine programme mobile vaccine clinics were dispatched to the furthest parts of the country, sometimes on motorcycles and boats. The results showed COVID-19 vaccination rates tripled in three days.

For villagers in remote areas in Sierra Leone it takes a lot of time and money to get to a clinic. So the COVID-19 vaccine came to the people.

03/21/2024

"Thank you all so much for your continued support. The first ever environmental film summit was a platform created to showcase not only the film New Boats, but also other short environmental films produced by Lansana Mansaray/and the WeOwnTV Freetown Media Center. The event was focused on the impact goal: Empower the Fishermen Union with the community surveillance tools, skill building, and partnership to document and report illegal fishing." Click here to read more: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/the-new-boats/reports/

03/20/2024

Congratulations Barmmy Boy Mansaray! So proud of you! Ma ŋaye ka Masaala a se ka Wɔmɛti (From God To Man) | (Limba) | Sierra Leone
The film recounts the lifestyle of Limba people Sierra Leone - their culture and traditions, livelihoods, their struggles to combat climate change issues, and how to seek to protect their heritage and land, all covered in this masterpiece

03/01/2024

Octopus Energy and SAP intend to build a wind farm on Sherbro Island, signifying the introduction of renewable energy in Sierra Leone. The farm will first consist of up to five wind turbines and solar panels which will generate clean energy for the local communities, according to Reuters.

More than just merely producing clean energy, the turbines will also collect vital data, which Octopus Energy states, will be instrumental in galvanizing future investments in renewable energy on the island.

The introduction of renewable energy in Sierra Leone has the potential to bring about a significant transformation in the West African nation

02/27/2024

In a landmark moment for women's representation in Sierra Leone, the first-ever seminar for female Members of Parliament (MPs), facilitated by WFD, brought together female MPs from various political factions to unite and tackle issues impacting women nationwide.