The Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) recently announced that submissions for the 2016 edition are now open. Festival director Martin Mhando has
confirmed that despite the fears that Zanzibar’s two major festivals will be
cancelled next year, ZIFF 2016 will be holding its 19th edition from 9 to 17 July
2016 in Stone Town, Zanzibar.
Following the announcement of the cancellation of the Sauti ya Busara music
festival for 2016, many had feared ZIFF would follow suit in an attempt to
encourage more government support for the two festivals.
Each year ZIFF exhibits more than 60 films made in Africa, Middle East, Europe,
Latin America, USA and Asia. The theme of the 2016 Festival is This Journey of Ours: Ndiyo hii Safari
Yetu.
The main competition for the Golden Dhow and Silver Dhow awards is open
exclusively to filmmakers from the Dhow countries. These include countries of the
Indian Ocean Rim and Indian Ocean Islands, including Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan;
and all African countries. The Sembene Ousmane Award Competition is only for
African and Diaspora filmmakers and partner producers.
ZIFF Official Competition 2016
ZIFF is accepting feature, short, fiction, documentary and animation film
submissions, with a particular focus on films produced by African and Dhow country
directors.
Online submissions from Tanzania are free, as well as music video entries from East
Africa.
Films can be entered in a range of categories such as:
• Documentaries: Open to all countries in all formats
• Feature Films: Open to all countries in all formats
• Films in Development: Open to films by Africans, African Diaspora and
partner producers.
• Music Video: This new category is dedicated to outstanding and creative
production of music videos from East Africa.
• Short Films: Open to all countries in all formats
• Animation: Open to all countries in all formats
All films are judged by an independent jury panel.
ZIFF 2016 Awards
The ZIFF Jury will offer Dhow Awards in the following categories:
• Feature films
• Documentary
• Short films
• Animation
• Dhow countries
• East African films
• Music videos from East Africa
Other Awards ZIFF 2016
• The Bi Kidude Chairman’s Award
• Signis East African Talent Award and Signis Award
• Sembene Ousmane prize for development films for the three best short films
• European African Festival Network Award: Best African Feature Film
• Zuku Swahili Awards to Bongo films in competition
• The Emerson’s Zanzibar Foundation Best Film on Zanzibar Award
• Audience award
Submission information
Submissions for ZIFF 2016 should be
done via the online platform where all rules and submission details can be found.
Participants can also visit the ZIFF website for more information, or the festival’s Facebook
page.
The deadline for submissions is 29 February 2016.
