After years of negotiating rights and digitally re-mastering over 500 African Films, the Electronic Media Network, popularly known as M-Net has now launched its latest initiative - The African Film Library. The initiative aims to make the best of the African Film Industry accessible to African film enthusiasts worldwide.
 
Since our independence 50 years ago, Africa has seen the rise of many powerful cinematic storytellers from Senegal's Ousmane Sembene and Mauritius' Med Hondo to South Africa's John Kani and Ghana's Leila Djansi.
 
And until the African Film Library, the issue of accessibility and archiving was one many film buffs, film academics and professionals often worried about and discussed in conferences dedicated to Africa’s cinematic industry. 
 
The African Film Library positions itself as "an important archive for the continent’s cultural cinematic heritage", while being a platform that makes "the African artists’ works easily accessible by a wide viewership around the globe – creating a new audience for existing and emerging filmmakers."
 
Collections that will be available are Ousmane Sembene; Djibril Diop Mambéty; John Kani; Jean Marie Teno, Gaston Kaboré, Kwaw Ansah, Oliver Schimtz and Youssef Chahine to mention a few.
 
African Screens applauds this positive initiative and celebrates the distribution and archiving opportunities the Library provides for many current and upcoming filmmakers in Africa.
 
For more information, contact African Film Library.