Pan-African film fest defies pandemic and jihadists

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, March 29, 2024


Pan-African film fest defies pandemic and jihadists
A statue of a cameraman stands at the Pan-African Film and Television Festival (FESPACO) headquarters in Ouagadougou, on October 14, 2021. Africa's biggest film festival kicks off on October 16, 2021 in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou, delayed eight months by the Covid-19 pandemic and overshadowed by a brutal six-year-old jihadist insurgency. Seventeen feature-length works are in the main competition for the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), the biggest date in the continent's cinema and TV industry. OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP.

by Stephane Barbier and Armel Baily



OUAGADOUGOU.- Africa's biggest film festival kicks off on Saturday in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou, delayed eight months by the Covid-19 pandemic and overshadowed by a brutal six-year-old jihadist insurgency.

Seventeen feature-length works are in the main competition for the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), the biggest date in the continent's cinema and TV industry.

Held every two years, the hugely popular festival was initially set for February 27-March 6 but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The impoverished landlocked country is also battling jihadist gunmen who have killed around 2,000 people since 2015 and forced 1.4 million to flee their homes.

"We are aware of the (safety) situation and every measure has been taken," the festival's director Alex Moussa Sawadogo said.

To stage the event, he said in remarks last month, demonstrates that Africa "continues to create, to dream, to be able to confront the ills that sap our societies."

Launched in 1969, FESPACO is closely followed by the US and European movie industries, which scout the event for new films, talent and ideas.

Under its rules, films chosen for competition have to be made by Africans and predominantly produced in Africa.

The 17 full-length films, selected from among 1,132 entries, are vying for the coveted Golden Stallion of Yennenga -- a trophy named after a mythical beast in Burkinabe mythology.

Their directors hail from 15 countries across Africa, although there is just one from the host nation.

Egypt has two contenders, and there is one each from Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Lesotho, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Tanzania and Tunisia.

A 17th is from Haiti -- reflecting this year's theme "Cinemas of Africa and the Diaspora."

The short film category includes 29 entries, both fiction and documentaries, with five from Burkina Faso and four from Senegal.

Sankara portrayal

One of the documentaries is especially timely.

"Thomas Sankara, the Human," by Burkinabe journalist Richard Tiene, takes a look at the life of the the country's revolutionary icon, who was gunned down during a coup in 1987 -- a traumatic episode that reverberates today.

The piece is being screened just days after Sankara's alleged killers went on trial in Ouagadougou. The accused includes ex-president Blaise Compaore, Sankara's friend and comrade-in-arms, who ruled for 27 years before being toppled by a popular uprising and fleeing to Ivory Coast.

The festival kicks on Saturday evening at the Palais des Sports complex, in ceremonies attended by Burkinabe President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, with Senegalese music stars Baaba Maal and Didier Awadi topping the bill.

Films will be screened in cinemas around Ouagadougou, including an open-air venue in the Square of the Nation in the heart of the city, Sadowogo said.

An international jury headed by Mauritanian producer Abderrahmane Sissako, who won France's coveted Cesar in 2015 for "Timbuktu," will select the prizewinner on October 23.

After the festival winds up, a "mini FESPACO" will tour the jihadist-hit north of the country to screen films for local people.


© Agence France-Presse










Today's News

October 15, 2021

U.S. charges once-rising artist with selling Raymond Pettibon forgeries

Sotheby's ramps up NFT operations

Powerful auction veterans aim new company at Asian market

Shredded Banksy canvas sells for record £18.58 million

Frieze London art fair returns after pandemic break

Julie Bargmann wins global Oberlander Prize with $100,000 award

Anne Imhof's stylish (and shareable) provocations

Exuberant art and cable car can lift a poor, violent place only so high

An Italian art haven along the Hudson

Nicola Vassell Gallery now representing Ming Smith

The Beatles are back with a happier ending

Hake's Nov. 2-3 Premier Auction led by Capt. America hero prop shield screen-used by Chris Evans in 'Avengers: Endgame'

Mary Bloom, photographer to the dog stars, dies at 81

This pristine beach is one of Japan's last. Soon it will be filled with concrete.

Review: 'Thoughts of a Colored Man' preaches to the choir

Yunior Garcia: Cuban playwright takes on the government

The Barnes Foundation announces appointment of James Claiborne, Curator of Public Programs

Netflix, UNESCO team up for Africa talent hunt

Le Carré's final, elegiac novel released posthumously

Pan-African film fest defies pandemic and jihadists

Destination Crenshaw moves ahead with a first round of public sculptures

Review: The Met's 'Turandot,' strongly sung, garishly staged

A female conductor joins the ranks of top U.S. orchestras

An 'allegory for our times': The Royal Ballet's 'Dante Project'

Parimatch bookmaker - the leader company on the sports betting market

How Does Art Contribute To Alcohol Recovery?

A Guide For Speciality Mortgage Loans And Everything That Comes Along

5 Tips for a Beginner at a Canadian Online Casino

What Features Should You Check When Buying a Jacobsen Golf Mower?




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

sa gaming free credit
Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful