Dear Honourable Members of Parliament,

We, the undersigned, humbly write to express our support for the Cinematography Bill of 2025 and to kindly ask for you to support The Ministry of Sports and Arts in making it a reality.

The most recent cinematography law in Botswana was the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act of 1981, which amended the original Cinematograph Act of 1970. Those laws were designed mainly to regulate film-making and exhibition in a very different era, long before digital production, streaming, international co-productions, and today’s global creative economy. The Act has been under review since at least 2019, and we are encouraged that the new Cinematography Bill is expected to be tabled in 2025 to finally modernise the framework.

By passing this bill, you will help to:

• Create a Botswana Film Commission that serves as a welcoming, one-stop home for both local and international productions.
• Introduce fair incentives and rebates that encourage investment, job creation, and meaningful spending in our economy.
• Provide training and job opportunities for Batswana youth, by ensuring international productions hire and mentor local crew.
• Boost tourism and cultural pride, as our beautiful landscapes and heritage are showcased on global screens.
• Regulation of operations with regards to wages, fees, permits, etc.
• Support diversification, at a time when new industries are key to Botswana’s long-term growth.

We can already see what is possible when we look to Namibia as a case study. In 2000, Namibia passed its own Film Commission Act, creating the Namibia Film Commission and a Film & Video Fund. Since then, Namibia has hosted acclaimed international productions, supported local filmmakers through grants, and generated employment across multiple sectors. From film crews and transport providers to hotels, catering, and tourism services. Film has become a vehicle for skills development, cultural preservation, and national promotion.

Botswana has the same potential, and even greater promise, if we provide the right legal framework. We are not asking for special treatment, but rather for a chance to see Botswana’s creative sector recognised as a contributor to national development. This bill will give our artists, technicians, and entrepreneurs the tools they need to thrive—and it will place Botswana firmly on the world stage.

We respectfully ask you, Honourable Members, to stand with us by supporting the Cinematography Bill of 2025.

We also encourage fellow citizens to kindly share this petition with their area MPs so that our collective voice may be heard in unity and peace.

With gratitude,
Supporters of the Cinematography Act of 2025