Introduction

Paradigm Initiative (PIN) is seeking proposals (technical and financial) from individuals or organizations working within Africa to produce a short film drawn from its 2021 annual report, LONDA – Digital Rights and Inclusion in Africa Report, that covers the state of digital rights and inclusion in 22 African countries.

About Paradigm Initiative

Paradigm Initiative works to connect underserved young Africans with digital opportunities and ensures the protection of their rights. Across our regional offices in Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and beyond, we work to connect under-served African youth with improved livelihoods through our digital inclusion and digital rights programs. Our programs include Life Skills. ICT. Financial Readiness. Entrepreneurship (LIFE) training program, Dufuna, and a digital rights program.

PIN has launched Londa, the organisation’s annual report on the state of digital rights and inclusion in Africa. The 2021 Londa report highlights the state of digital rights and inclusion in 22 African countries, offering recommendations for digital rights protection and inclusion. Several countries made encouraging progress in 2021 to drive digital transformation across the continent but at the same time, the landscape was marred by digital rights violations. As usual, there were shutdowns, during election periods, and other digital rights violations, with governments, once again missing opportunities for multi-stakeholder resolution of emerging challenges.

Rationale and Scope

PIN seeks to produce a short film, of between 20 and 30 minutes, that tells the story of digital rights and inclusion in Africa. The film should be an audiovisual representation of the 2021 Londa report and must capture key instances and elements highlighted in the report in a creative way that can be viewed and understood by diverse members of African societies, and lovers of cinema. The language used must be simple, inclusive, and comprehensible to reach a wide audience. 

Timeline

A complete and finalised script is expected on or before July 25th, 2022, for the actual production of the movie to commence on August 1st, 2022. PIN expects a finalised film product by August 31st, 2022.

Deliverables

PIN is hiring a production company to do the following:

• Develop a script for the film from the Londa 2021 report.
• Produce the film in either English or  French with dubbing into French, English, and Swahili depending on the original language of the film.
• The movie production company should have modern equipment and qualified personnel capable of script writing, translating, producing, and dubbing the movie with guidance from PIN’s communications team.
• The film production company must be open to meeting with the PIN team regularly for any clarifications and updates.

Production Tasks

The movie production company will do the following:

• Develop the script in English, French, and Swahili.
• Produce the short film in either English or French as the original languages, and dub it into French, English, and Swahili depending on the original language of the film, by August 8th, 2022.
• Align the dubbed version closely with the style and tone of the original, while keeping it perfectly synchronised to the actors’ lips, expressions, and body language.
• Record and use standard French/English narration and prepare background music for the movie.
• Finalise the original production and dubbing according to feedback provided by Paradigm Initiative.
• Finalise any type of data (scripts, images, clips, etc.) after the consultation and approval.
• Use the latest high-quality dubbing software.
• The production company will produce all soundtracks and music used in the film from scratch.

Qualifications, Background, and Experience

The ideal company must have movie scriptwriting, production, and dubbing high-level technical/professional expertise, and creativity. The successful applicant is required to:

• Submit samples of the following works: a film script, a film, and French/English video dubbing productions directly produced by the applicant.
• Demonstrate competency in script writing, production, developing, and dubbing movies/films in French/English. The film produced must be in English/French and dubbed in French, English, and Swahili and the scriptwriting must be produced in both English and French.
• Supported French accents include French, Swiss, and African (Togo, Cameroun, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Congo, Benin, Tchad, Cameroon, Gabon, RCA, Niger, Mali, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria).

 Submission

The proposal should provide the following information:

• Technical Proposal: Outline and methodology for undertaking the scriptwriting, translation of the script, film production, video dubbing, as well as the detailed work plan showing the assignment’s important activities and milestones.
• Financial Proposal: Include a detailed quotation for the production showing all necessary costs to be incurred.
• The proposal must also include the contact details of three references. Please submit the proposal with the works portfolio as required and mentioned under the qualifications section above. Submissions should include COVID-19 safety guidelines.

If this RFP describes your company’s capacities, kindly submit your proposal by July 8th, 2022. PIN welcomes collaborative submissions between two or more applicants.

Please submit proposals to rfp@paradigmhq.org with the subject line: Short Film Production: Londa 21