Marking the re-launch of the inaugural London African Film Festival initially held in December 2008 – which hosted more than 35 screenings in 10 days at leading cultural venues such as the BFI, Film Africa will be showcasing more than 50 of Africa’s best films and 15 UK premieres this year from the 3rd - 13th November.
Supported by The Royal African Society and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Film Africa 2011 will be providing an exciting programme of screenings, Q&As, panel discussions and live performances.
“There has never been greater interest in African film, and Film Africa aims to celebrate and participate in this movement,” says Film Africa Co-Director and Senior Lecturer in African Film at SOAS, Dr Lindiwe Dovey. “A half-century after Africans started making their own films, supplanting the patronising iconographies evident in colonial cinema set in Africa, African Cinema is finally being recognised across the globe”.
Film Africa will open with the multi-award winning film Microphone, featuring a special presentation by the Egyptian actor, director and human rights activist Khaled Abol Naga and a live performance by Dele Sosimi and Dudu Sarr.
Guests in attendance include filmmakers and actors Zina Saro-Wiwa, Sarah Maldoror, Rasselas Lakew,Ariane Astrid Atodji, Dorylia Calmel, Sara Blecher, Matthieu Bronand Kamauwa Ndung'u, who will all be present to talk to audiences during the festival.
A riveting programme of African experimental film is one of the unique highlights of the festival, with five UK premieres in this programme alone, which includes work by artists such as John Akomfrah, ZinaSaro-Wiwaand Akosua Adoma Owusu.
This year there is also a special focus on Africa’s foremost women filmmakers. We are particularly delighted that Sarah Maldoror - the first woman to make a feature film in Africa- will be in attendance to present her film Sambizanga and do a Q&A with audiences. This will be the first time that a festival in the UK has had such a focus, and is also pioneering on the international level, where the work of African women directors has often been overlooked.
Other programme highlights include the inauguration of The Distribution Forum, with panellists who are committed to trying to mainstream African film discussing ways of improving the distribution and exhibition of African film in the UK (Sunday 6 November, SOAS, free and open to the public); and The Silver Baobab Award for Best Short African Film, with EcoBank sponsoring a prize of £2000 for the winning film, which will be presented by filmmaker Sarah Maldoror.
For more information please get a hold of Film Africa at info@filmafrica.org.ukor 020 3073 8337. |
