Wednesday, May 31st, 2023
Paradigm Initiative’s (PIN’s) movie, Finding Diana, has won two awards at this year’s Pitcher Festival in Lagos, Nigeria.
This brings to three, the number of awards the movie has won so far. It clinched the Gold prize in the Non-Profit category and Silver in the Entertainment category.
The win comes barely two months after the short film was named the Best Human Rights Film at the Berlin Shorts Award in Germany.
The Pitcher Awards, which is now on its 6th Edition is one of Africa’s most valuable and internationally respected accolades. Entries are open to all work created, released or implemented anywhere on the African continent. Projects created outside of Africa but designed specifically for implementation or release in Africa are also eligible for entry into the awards.
Finding Diana is executive produced by Paradigm Initiative in partnership with Up In the Sky Films. The film was directed by Tolulope Ajayi and produced by Benjamin Adeniran. PIN partners who supported the movie production are; Ford Foundation, Internews, Internet Society (ISOC) Foundation, Luminate and United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour (DRL).
In the film, the lead actress, Uzoamaka Onuoha plays 28-year-old Aisha Coker, a down-on-her-luck journalist. Also starring in the movie is Mike Afolarin who plays Izuore Duke, Rotimi Adelegan as the Governor and Bade Smart in the role of James. The film follows Aisha as she investigates a story of debauchery in her state government. Will her dive into the underbelly of conspiracy finally put Aisha on the map or will it serve a bigger purpose? Finding Diana is inspired by PIN’s 2021 Digital Rights and Inclusion Report- Londa. The report highlights the state of digital rights and inclusion in 22 African countries. This is the third short film released by Paradigm Initiative following the success of Training Day (2020) and Focus (2021).
Londa 2021 examines privacy, freedom of expression, access to information, segmentation and execution, digital transformation, affordability, gender, and others within existing legislative frameworks, and against the backdrop of a widening digital divide.
It also assesses the state of digital rights and inclusion on the continent and provides recommendations on what each country must do to move towards realizing gains that rights-respecting and inclusive digital practices bring. Besides providing recommendations, the report also highlights gaps existing in the featured African countries.
About PIN
Paradigm Initiative (PIN) works to connect underserved young Africans with digital opportunities, and ensures protection of their rights. The organisation has worked in communities across Nigeria since 2007, and across Africa from 2017, building experience, community trust and an organisational culture that positions it as a leading social enterprise in ICT for Development and Digital Rights on the continent.
Across our regional offices in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and beyond, PIN works to connect under-served African youth with improved livelihoods through our digital inclusion and digital rights programs. The organization’s programs include Life Skills. ICT. Financial Readiness. Entrepreneurship (LIFE) training program, Dufuna, a digital readiness workshop for girls and life at school club program.
PIN has also built online platforms that educate and serve as safe spaces for the reporting of digital rights violations. These mediums, in the form of reports, short films, and educational online platforms, include Ayeta, Londa and Ripoti.
Paradigm Initiative is also the convener of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF), a pan-African bilingual Forum that has held annually since 2013.