The Leaders in Motion Academy (LIMA) is a MICT Seta-accredited film and television business academy in South Africa founded by Thato Molamu. Molamu is a media personality from Mahikeng in the North West Province. Molamu, who is also a social entrepreneur who heads LIMA, is committed to raising awareness and addressing Gender-Based Violence & Femicide (GBVF) through creative initiatives.
LIMA's 16 Short Filmmakers Project, under the theme "16 Days of Activism", involves 40 young filmmakers (16 writers, 16 directors and eight producers) who produce short films. The programme includes a month-long boot camp, professional crew collaboration, and editing by award-winning female editor, Pricilla Mandlate.
Experienced facilitators and collaborators from different institutions are part of the initiative. Molamu's passion is to empower the younger generation with creative and business skills to tell local stories and contribute to the innovative tech economy. The project aims to create actionable conversations around GBVf, address youth unemployment and reduce violence in society.
LIMA's goal is to develop conscious leaders in content creation and strike a balance in content strategies to promote South Africa's culture. The initiative focuses on nurturing leadership skills, financial management, people skills, risk management and strategy development using film. Since its initiation in 2019, the 16 Short Filmmakers Project has supported over 200 young filmmakers, fostering on-the-job learning and raising awareness to drive positive change.
Speaking on the essence of the theme, Molamu said: "This year's theme is 16 days of activism. The statistics of GBVF have risen to concerning numbers, including the high unemployment rate in this country and globally. "More than ever, this is the most critical time to harness an outcome-based educational ventures for youth by not only developing their creative skills but their business skills and also by giving them market access, creating future jobs, developing better curriculums from high school and normalising access as studying to be a creative is an expensive career choice.
The creative sector employs more than the mining sector. If job creation and small businesses are government and private sector priorities, the business of the creatives must be high on our national agenda.“ * For updates on LIMA's projects, you can connect with them online through various platforms, including LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, their website, and YouTube.
LIMA's mission is to provide business and theoretical training for underprivileged youth, particularly from townships and rural areas, in fields like film, gaming design, animation, sound engineering, and virtual reality. They have secured funding, equipment, and partnerships to support these young creatives, enabling them to gain valuable work experience and education while working with notable broadcasters and brands. LIMA offers a range of accredited and non-accredited courses, fully funded education, and incubation to bridge digital skills.
