Champions of Our Time by Nigerian Mak’ Kusare has won the Golden Mbongi Award for best children’s films at the fifth edition of the annual Lola Kenya Screen audiovisual media festival, production workshop and market for children and youth in Eastern Africa which ended in Nairobi, Kenya on 14 August. The film competed against 22 other entries from around the world.
Seasons of Life, a 2009 production by Charles Shem Joyah of Malawi, won the 14-Plus Award for the best youth film on the account of its “creative beginning, good casting, good technical quality’ and ‘its proclamation of the divinity of the motherhood in word and deed’.
The three-member jury comprising Vanessa Alice Wanjiku, Alexander Thungu Kinyanjui and Simon Odhiambo Onyango described Champions of Our Time as being based on a universal theme. “This film is based on a universal theme that is experienced all over the world. The cast is well chosen and we find the film educative, informative and captivating,’ the jury said of the 120-minute film.
The film stars two whizz-kids trying to enter an international quiz competition. One is denied registration because of being physically challenged while the other is accepted with open arms as she is from a well to do famly.
While the Christian Ditter-directed Vorstaadtkrokodile of Germany and Lost and Found by Philip Hunt of the UK were declared second and third best children’s films, We Were Young from Namibia-based Philippe Talavera and Vincent Chabrillant’s En Mode Ailleurs of France emerged send and third best youth films n the awards ceremony held at the Kenya National Theatre in the heart of Nairobi on 14 August.
The highest number of entries came from Spain followed by Kenya and Nigeria. First time participants in the five-year festival were Kosovo, Tunisia, Malawi, Moldova and Singapore.
Animation carried the most entries from almost every country and continent and a good number of experimental films were also registered.
Lola Kenya Screen 2010 witnessed an upsurge in the number of films made by children and youth ie. those under the age of 18 years.
Here is a full list of winners:
Golden Mboni for the best children’s film: CHAMPIONS OF OUR TIME by Mak Kusare of Nigeria.
Silver Mboni for the second best children’s film: VORSTAADTKROKODILE by Christian Ditter of Germany.
Bronze Mboni for the third best children’s film: LOST AND FOUND by Philip Hunt of the UK.
14-Plus Award for the best youth film: SEASONS OF A LIFE by Charles Shemu Joyah of Malawi.
14-Plus Award for the second best youth film: WE WERE YOUNG by Philippe Talavera of Namibia.
14-Plus Award for the third best youth film: EN MODE AILLEURS by Vincent Chabrillant of France.
Best Documentary: BIG SISTER PUNAM by Lucian and Natasa Muntean of Serbia.
Best Animation: LOST AND FOUND by Philip Hunt of the United Kingdom.
Best TV series: KOZUCHA KLAMZUCHA by Andrezj Kukula of Poland.
Best Student film: GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Alexei Gubenco of Romania.
Best Children’s right film: JANAKI by M.G. Sasi of India.
Audience’s Choice Award: LOST AND FOUND by Philip Hunt of the UK.
Special Talent Prize: Talent Empire by Simon Peter Otieno of Kenya.
Special Youth Prize: Communicating for Change, Nigeria.
For its 5th edition that August 9-14,2010 in Nairobi, Lola Kenya Screen received 302 films from 38 countries in 33 languages. Entries came from Serbia, Nepal, USA, Spain, Namibia, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Italy, India, Iran, Uganda, UK, France, Finland, Romania, Moldova, Singapore, Kenya, The Netherlands, Croatia, Tunisia, Japan, Malawi, Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Slovenia, Kosovo, Ethiopia, Norway, Brazil, Tanzania, Uganda, Turkey, Ukraine, Latvia, and Argentina.
The festival screened one third of the films submitted for consideration in 10 sections: The Golden Mboni Award Competition for the best children’s film, The 14-Plus Award Competition for the best youth film, Films by Students, Films by Children, Films for Youth, Eastern Africa Prism, Television Series, World Panorama, Special Focus, and 4th Kids for Kids Africa.
