About
Who We Are
The SLFILM Guild (Sierra Leone Film Industry Labour & Marketing Guild) is the first legally registered and government-recognised national trade union representing the country’s film sector. Its establishment marks a historic milestone in the growth and formal recognition of Sierra Leone’s film industry. The Guild was formed through sustained efforts to secure acknowledgment of the industry’s development and to protect the rights and welfare of all professionals working within it.
What We Do
The Guild exists to advance and protect the interests of film industry professionals. We achieve this by bringing practitioners together, strengthening their collective voice, and advocating for fair and equitable treatment across the sector, whether for employed or freelance workers.
Our work focuses on improving standards in pay, working conditions, and professional welfare, while promoting health and safety, equality, and continuous skills development. Through these efforts, the SLFILM Guild is committed to building a more structured, fair, and thriving film industry in Sierra Leone.
Mission
Professionals advancing their collective economic, social, and cultural interests.
Vision
A strengthen film industry positioned globally positioned to benefit the professionals
The Work We Do
- Unite film professionals and promote collaboration across the industry
- Advocate for supportive government policies and industry development
- Represent film workers in relevant national and international platforms
- Conduct research on industry performance, labour, and productivity
- Mediate and resolve professional and industry conflicts
- Support training, education, and capacity-building initiatives
- Develop and expand services for Guild members
- Build partnerships with local and international organizations
Subsidiary Guilds
History
The Guild was originally conceived by the National Film Workshop in 2007 as part of the industry proposals published in the Whitepaper, ‘Putting Sierra Leone In The Picture, The Guild was important in order to ensure that the rights of all those working in the newly-emerging film industry could be recognised and protected alongside other recognised workers in the national economy. In 2010, intense work and research was conducted that including gaining support from international organisations such as BECTU (UK) and UNI (Europe). Legal documentation was also prepared and submitted to the appropriate national authorities including the Sierra Leone Labour Congress and the Ministry of Trade & Industry.
In 2012, the Guild finally received its formal accreditation as a Trade Union. By this time, other groups around the country had emerged to help represent their own niche interests. It was therefore seen as appropriate to recognise the diversity and strength of these various groups and offer all their members the collective protection and representation afforded by coming under the umbrella of the SLFILM Guild.
Through this considered process of democratic organisation, everyone working in the film industry – in front of, or behind, the camera; on set; in offices, or in the market (irrespective of their role, gender, race, religion, disability or geography) – can enjoy all the benefits of belonging to a union that protects their rights and gives them all an equal voice in the development of Sierra Leone’s film industry.
The Founding members of the SLFILM Guild:-
The Guild was originally conceived by the National Film Workshop, a project of the SL Film Foundation, as part of the industry proposals published in the Whitepaper, ‘Putting Sierra Leone In The Picture’, in 2007.
Ernest Mannah
Ian Noah
Abdul Fortypound (Organising)
M.J.Sessy Kamara (Capacity)
Papa Edwin Pshaw (Advisor)
The Founding Working Group Members
Ernest Mannah
Mohammed Foday Kamara
Papa Edwin Pshaw
Brima A Sheriff
Dennis Nelson Streeter
Ayouba Sidibay
Sulaiman Kamara
Idriss Kpange
Ibrahim Sorie Samura
Kadie Sesay
Sallematu Kamara
Benjamin Dominic
Adeyemi Lardner
Sulaiman Stephens