This year sees the return of Africa’s biggest documentary event, the People to People International Documentary Conference (P2P), which will run from 16 to 18 of September, in conjunction with the Tri Continental Film Festival (TCFF).
First convened in 2007, P2P is a joint initiative of TCFF and the Encounters South African International Documentary Film Festival, conceived with the shared vision of taking African documentary into the future.
Conference designers Arya Lalloo and Katarina Hedren have created this year’s programme so as to reflect on an important moment in documentary filmmaking on the continent.
“Historically, documentary in Africa and other regions of the “developing south’ has had to fight for a limited place within global documentary production models,’ says Lalloo, “Most of the channels to audiences were located in the developed “north’. We stand at a historic moment now: those rigid global models have broken down and technological advancements are bringing African documentary makers ever closer and in more direct contact with home audiences. Finally we are breaking free of those old north/south dichotomies.’
Under the banner, Documentary Unshackled, this year’s P2P programme is double-tiered. The P2P Showcase offers screenings of innovative, beautiful documentary films and digital documentary installations from the African continent and Diaspora to the public, while the P2P Industry Hub brings documentary filmmakers and industry stakeholders from across the continent together with their international counterparts for an exciting three-day programme dedicated to the art, business and technology of documentary from an African perspective.
Also, following the success of P2P 2011, P2P will once again host Good Pitch2 JHB. Good Pitch is a unique forum spearheaded by The Channel 4 Britdoc Foundation and The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, that brings documentary filmmakers and NGOs, foundations, philanthropists, brands and media together to forge partnerships, coalitions and campaigns around pressing social issues.
In partnership with South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation, University of the Witwatersrand, the Gauteng Film Commission among others, the conference masterclasses, screenings, conversations sessions, panel discussions and networking and social events will all be located at Wits and the vibrant Cultural Hub of Braamfontein in Johannesburg.
For more information visit www.people2people.co.za.
