ORGANISERS of the King Moshoeshoe Film Festival which was scheduled for March before it was postponed to August, but never saw the light of day, say the COVID-19 pandemic has been a devastating blow to the event and the entire entertainment industry.

Aubrey Silinyana - the Senior Project Manager of the Film Sector Ground-breakers (FSG) Lesotho which is responsible for the festival said due to the pandemic, they have rescheduled the festival again to a date yet to be announced.

“We are actually waiting for the pandemic to completely subside,” he said.
Mr Silinyana said international travel which has been suspended due to the pandemic is key to the festival as people from other countries in Africa normally attend the annual event.

With most borders closed and other countries considered high risk, he said this year’s edition of the show cannot take off.

The festival, he said is not only about entertainment as it also focuses on the film industry development.

He therefore said there is an on-going incubation programme, adding that they are also setting up co-productions with other countries for films to be produced.