A Nedbank IMC 2021 partnership with Sunshine Cinema challenges marketers to pay it forward

Sunshine Cinema is a non-profit organisation that uses solar cinema kits, termed sunboxes, to screen African movies to communities in outlying areas in Africa. The goal is to enthuse and encourage communities to speak up about the issues that they face. Sunbox Ambassadors, previously unemployed youth from peri-urban and rural areas, are trained as media facilitators. Equipped with sunboxes, they journey out to communities to promote active citizenship inspired by the power of African films.

Sunshine Cinema’s distribution channel employs more than 25 Sunbox Ambassadors in four countries, resulting in a direct audience reach of more than 100,000 people across South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia. Over 50 African films have been screened.

With this year’s Nedbank IMC themed, 'Marketing. The Movie', the partnership with Sunshine Cinema is a perfect fit. Dale Hefer, CEO of the Nedbank IMC, says: "Unlocking conversations and empowering youth are dual activities that resonate with the Nedbank IMC. Our own mission is to engage South African and African marketing communities in thinking about the business of marketing, as well as to include a strong element of youth empowerment."

The partnership is also a call to marketers to 'pay it forward' by assisting Sunshine Cinema in the next leg of their journey: the promotion of an education collaboration with the University of Cape Town (UCT). A course will soon be launched in grassroots media facilitation, to assist communities around the world in voicing their challenges and help others steer themselves to a better future. Co-founder of Sunshine Cinema, Rowan Pybus, says, "Sunshine Cinema has a decade of inspiring and activating communities through the power of film behind it. The UCT course is a culmination of our learnings, which we hope to share with a global market."

Who better to market this than Africa’s marketers, says Hefer. "We challenge our brilliant marketers to give of their time and think outside the (Sunshine) box, in working with Sunshine Cinema to conceptualise a marketing campaign for the organisation’s UCT course. For marketers, this could lead to intriguing opportunities to tap into Sunshine Cinema’s solar powered distribution channel."

Hefer adds that should marketers be eager to find out more about Sunshine Cinema and how to get involved, further information will be revealed at this year’s Nedbank IMC on 29 July.