South African films in various genres have been selected to participate and compete at FESPACO, the Pan African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou, which runs until 5 March in Burkina Faso. FESPACO is Africa’s biggest film festival.
Films in competition are Jahmil XT Qubeka’s A Small Town Called Descent, and Faith Isiakpere’s Foreign Demons. Feature films in competition are John Trengove’s Hopeville and Mathison Michele’s Lobolo (The Dowry).
Documentaries in competition are: Mining for Change – A Story for South Africa Mining by Navan Chetty and Eric Myeni; and Zwelidumile by Suleman Ramadan.
Three short films from the AFDA school are in competition: Away from me; A flight that lost its feathers; and Homecoming (AFDA).
Two South African films will be screened in the Panorama section: The Unbelievable Adventures of Hanna Hoekom by Regardt Van den Bergh; and Le Tunnel by Jenna Bass. Teddy Mattera’s Telegraph to the sky Jan Hendrick Beetge’s The Abyss Boys will screen in the Seances Speciales.
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is leading the South African delegation at FESPACO. On 2 March the NFVF will launch the Sediba International Financing Programme for Producers, which will now be open to entrants from across the continent.
“The NFVF looks forward to once again position and strengthen South Africa’s presence at this premier African film festival, and to promote the country as a co-production partner and filmmaking destination,’ says NFVF CEO Eddie Mbalo.
FESPACO remains a major and favourite platform for meeting and networking for film industry practitioners in Africa and globally. Film and audio-visual practitioners worldwide will also be participating in the various workshops and panels. Through art and cultural expression, thousands of festival goers garther at FESPACO every two years to communicate, to build relationships, to exchange expertise and to reinvent themselves.
