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International Video Fair
October 20, 2002

Who we are
The International Video Fair (IVF) is a non-profit trust, founded and based in Zimbabwe. IVF uses film as a medium to disseminate development-oriented information to its target audiences. Under its edu-tainment/social marketing project, the organization conducts film screenings to mass audiences. These screenings are always free of charge for the public to attend. The films screened address key social and development issues that IVF believes are most relevant to local communities. As such, IVF serves as a source of crucial educational information for many Zimbabwean communities.

Our vision
In an effort to achieve its developmental agenda, IVF holds to the following objectives:

• T o educate local communities regarding crucial social and developmental concerns in a strategic program towards behaviour modification,
• To cater to communities that have limited or no access to other forms of media based education and where specific development and social concerns are most prevalent and most threatening
• To create local awareness and appreciation for African films and contribute to the development of infrastructure within the film industry in Africa,
• To exhibit and promote films which reflect the aspirations of Africans and which advance self-determination and equality within African people,
• To promote and support the development of local productions, with a clear focus on films that serve a developmental/cultural purpose.

We believe that our operations are very unique in that we have the capacity to congregate captive audiences and address them within the context of an entertainment event. We believe that our knowledge deployment strategy has many advantages over disseminating information via alternate forms of media. Practically unlimited access to target populations is our greatest advantage. Most of our screening road shows reach audiences that have limited or no access to radio, television and newspapers. Unlike television and radio, our real-time presence enables us to know our audience, gauge the audience’s response to educational messages and conduct thorough evaluation’s, thus ensuring greater impact. As a core part of our programming, we often have expert speakers address the audience and initiate audience discussion before and after relevant film screenings.

Target audience
Our focus is on educating the rural and urban-poor communities that are <I> most susceptible and vulnerable to social and development challenges (such as HIV/AIDS) and <ii> have limited access to television and other forms of media from which to derive education regarding these social issues.

Since we commenced operations in February of 2001, we have screened educational videos to approximately 467,000 individuals in 134 screenings. The average audience is comprised of 3,485 individuals with the following breakdown:

• Adult male 60%
• Adult female 30%
• Children 10%

Our mandate
The International Video Fair was formed on the grounds of a very clear mandate. Behavioural studies in Zimbabwe have shown that individuals are willing to make significant behavioral change if they are adequately and informed on relevant issues. As such, it can be assumed that the greater the level of education regarding critical social and development issues is, the greater the population’s response will be. It is generally our target audiences that are also the most vulnerable to the maladies of most social and development issues. It is our vision to educate these communities on issues that are of the greatest pertinence to their lives.

The final component of our mandate comes from the perspective of our donors who fund film and video in Africa. In speaking to members of the donor community, we have realised that there is a certain level of frustration amongst those who fund African film. The dilemma is that great levels of funding are allocated to the production of films for their development and cultural value, but these films seldom make it to the target audiences that can benefit most from them. Films are limited in the impact that they can have on society as their distribution is disproportionately limited to those who already have access to the education captured within these films. We believe that these productions are ideal educational tools, given that their distribution takes target audiences into account.

Our vision for the future
It is our vision to expand our screening operations to the SADC countries over the course of the next few years, starting with Malawi and Zambia in 2002. We are also developing the film production side of our operations. It is our belief that feedback received form our audiences leaves us in and ideal position to produce local film with this local feedback in mind.

An avenue for advertising
In an effort towards eventual self-sustainability, we have initiated and advertising programme, by which we advertise corporate sponsors before, during and after our film screenings. Advertisements are edited directly into the films to ensure continuity. We believe that funds procured through such corporate advertising enables us to maintain our operations into the future and serve our communities in the long term. Thus far we have featured advertisements for PSI Zimbabwe, Reckitt Benckiser. Corporate sponsors appreciate our advertisements as it is one of the only means to reach much of their target market that lack access to television and radio.

For more information, email Charity Maruta at aiasvf@mango.zw

Visit the IVF fact sheet

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