AFTER complaints that black people are lagging behind in television and film, MultiChoice has been quietly working with aspirant filmmakers in their quest to level the playing field.

Sixteen wannabe filmmakers recently graduated from the MultiChoice Film Talent Incubator programme.

This dynamic group will now become part of the new generation of filmmakers in South Africa.

Having completed the intensive eight-month training programme, the candidates are eager and ready to pursue their dream jobs.

The programme is also notching up a number of successes, with the work of some of the candidates being selected for viewing at film festivals on the African continent.

Last year Palesa Shongwe's, Khanyisile Maimela and Tamandani Kapisa's work was showcased at the Encounters Film Festival - a 17-day documentary festival on the continent.

Others have been selected for the Tri-Continental Film Festival and most recently Shongwe's work, Atrophy, was selected for viewing at the African, Asian and Latin American Film Festival taking place in Milan, Italy, this month.

Shongwe was very excited about the selection and feels it validates her work.

"I get to tell ordinary African stories that people on the continent can relate to," she says.

"This is a great achievement for Palesa. The Milan Film Festival includes work that is spread across Africa, Brazil and Asia.

"It is a further indication of the high calibre of candidates in the programme", says Itumeleng Letebele, Multichoice corporate social investment manager.

Many of the 64 candidates who have gone through the programme since it started in 2007 are working in the industry.