Hicham Brini and Karima Zoubir
(Douaa)
Camera Saida Fenan
From the institutional film to the advertising spot, from reportage to the documentary,
from the short film to the cinema and TV movie, Hicham Brini has been responsible for a
large body of production.
A law graduate, Karima Zoubir, has been working as a freelance director and script girl
since graduating with distinction in 2005.
Islamisation of certain Moroccan families forbids social interaction between men and
women outside of marriage. Camera Saida Fenan was created following the tragic
killing a few years ago of a woman by her own brother after being taped dancing
suggestively at a wedding. In Casablanca, one woman has found a way to live amidst all
these contradictions in an unexpected lifestyle which brings us into a world only she has
penetrated until now.
Jean-Marie Teno
(Les Films du Raphia)
Naana, La Reine-Mere
Naan, The Queen Mother
Jean-Marie Teno has been producing and directing films on the colonial and post-colonial
history of Africa for over twenty years. Teno’s films have been honored at festivals
worldwide, many have been broadcast in Europe and featured in festivals across the
United States.
Naan, The Queen Mother, is the story of sixty-year-old Ghanaian, Naana Banyiwa Horne.
After being resident in the United States for thirty-five years, circumstances led her to
spend more time in Ghana. She started looking into her family history, discovering
more and more about the story of her mother, whom she had always known to be of
royal descent. This led to Naana being chosen to take up the throne in the effort to fill
the power vacuum left after the death of Ansomaa II, queen mother of Naana’s
hometown Apam.
Anna Teeman and Adze Ugah
(End Street Productions)
The Black President
Anna formed End Street Productions in 2008 after 9 years as a BBC filmmaker. A
bursary winner of UK Film Council’s Interdoc programme she is also a graduate of
Eurodoc and a member of European Documentary Network.
Through the life and work of Johannesburg based and Zimbabwean born artist Kudzanai
Chiurai The Black President examines the power and punch of political art. Chiurai is
going to stage the “inauguration’ of an African president in Johannesburg and stream it
live worldwide. The inauguration speech is inspired by actual independence day
presidential addresses from African leaders. Broken promises are examined in painting,
video and photography in an accompanying exhibition.
Steven Markovitz and Eddie Edwards
(SM Production)
Rollaball
Founding director of the production company Big World Cinema (est. 1994) and the
Encounters Documentary Festival (est. 1999) and the Close Encounters Documentary
Laboratory, Steven Markovitz has been involved with film and television since 1992,
producing and executive producing features, documentaries and shorts. He is a
founding member of the Independent Producers Organisation (IPO) and has sat on
various international juries and panels. He recently established a pan-African production
company with Djo Tunda wa Munga called Suka!
Rollaball, focuses on polio disabled people who live on the streets of Accra, Ghana. While
they are appear to be victims of poverty, they are trying to take control of their lives
through sport; they are finding ways to keep fit, have leisure time and build a
community. This is a film which looks beyond their daily struggles.
Mathien Muller and Damien Ounouri
(Kafard Films)
FIDAI
Damien Ounouri has directed several short films and documentaries, he is also a tutor,
conducting cinema workshops for children and teenagers in Algeria and France. Almost
50 years after Independence, Fidai is the story of Ounaouri’s great-uncle El Hadi, a
veteran of the FLN during the Algerian Revolution. El Hadi, reveals for the first time his
secret life. Far from legend, this is a subjective and necessary look at the history of
Algeria that provides a fresh perspective on the Algerian Revolution.
Nicole Schafer
(Thinking Strings Media)
Homage to the Buddha-of Africa
Namo Amitofo Africa
South African-born Nicole Schafer is an independent filmmaker and video
journalist who has been living and working in Malawi for the past two years.
She has produced freelance features for Reuters pan-african magazine show Africa
Journal as well as commissioned videos for various organizations and NGO’s. She has
worked extensively in the film and television industry in South Africa and has an MFA
degree in Film and Television production from the University of Cape Town.
Homage to the Buddha-of Africa, is the story of two orphans growing up in a Chinese
Buddhist Orphanage in Malawi. Malawi entered diplomatic relations with China two years
ago. The orphans read, write and speak Mandarin and are rapidly becoming masters of
Kung Fu.Will this help to break down some of the cultural barriers and prejudices
Malawians have against the Chinese?
