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Quick show guide to what’s happening at AfricaCom next week

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The 20th staging of Africa’s largest and certainly most influential technology, media and telecommunications event, AfricaCom, is nearly here. Kicking off at the greatly extended Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from Tuesday 7 November, AfricaCom will welcome over 13,000 delegates, some 400 exhibitors and as many speakers as well as a large contingent of local and international media.

There is much on offer for all at this year’s event. Standing on the cusp of the 4th Industrial Revolution, the drive for economic parity is being propelled by IT and digital communication and it is at AfricaCom that participants will get a glimpse of just where we are all headed.

Because the digital realm is so all encompassing AfricaCom has curated as many aspects as possible, navigating the conferences and the exhibition halls can be bewildering, even for stalwarts. To help, here are some of the key highlights:

Think Tanks – Several roundtable discussions around Enterprise ICT are a must if businesses hope to survive before they think about growing and prospering. Taking place on Wednesday 8 November, at 11h25, a number of industry heavies will weigh in on how to overcome Africa’s connectivity infrastructure restraints and the challenges that businesses face in not being able enable applications necessary for them to conduct their core business. What actual improvements are needed and can we move beyond dialogue to action and when?

Also on Wednesday but taking place at 14h15, the other side of the digital coin – people – is explored. Is your workforce ready for digital transformation – what skills gaps are they and what we are doing as business leaders to ensure we have a hand on what’s required
to propel us forward? And, more importantly who do we trust with leading this transformation in our organisations.

We’ve already mentioned it, but worth another reminder, the AfricaCom 20th Birthday Bash starts at 16h30 on Tuesday 7 November in the new Technology Arena, ahead of the second staging of the AFEST party at the Shimmy Beach Club – media are all invited to attend AFEST and are requested to RSVP to esona@networxpr.co.za. (Please note that standard media rules apply when it comes to artist copyright and recording of performances).

The SDN and NFV conference stream will take place on Tuesday 7th November covering issues such as Open Source driving innovation in the telco world. Another hot topic,
especially in South Africa, is a series of talks on Digital Broadcast – where is Pay TV headed? The roles and challenges of public broadcasting? And, the evolution of the home networking experience.

Keynote speeches and presentations will be uploaded to the AfricaCom app – for media reporting purposes.

Some Other Exhibitor highlights:

Nokia showcase – Stand C95
Nokia is showcasing the latest innovations and engaging in discussions on ultra-broadband, the promise of 5G, digital transformation, cloud transformation, secure quantum-safe encryption and IP networks re-imagined. We will demonstrate how you can unleash the full potential of your network today, and how to flexibly build and scale your business for the digital future. Nokia will also be hosting live demos a meeting room 1.74.

Parallel Wireless – Stand B33
Regular demonstrations of a newly announced the addition of 2G capabilities to their 3G/4G end-to-end SDR solution. This innovative approach allows operators to easily and cost-effectively deploy, expand and future-proof 2G Networks. They will be demonstrating its capabilities daily.

Seamless Distribution Systems – Stand A116 Hall 4b
“Get Set Distribute: Experience the transformational leap of digital distribution to cloud”
Wednesday 8 November – 15h30, and “Micro creating macro impact” on 9 November – 15h30

With a host of other opportunities on offer at this year’s event, AfricaCom is proving to be a fertile ground for developing new thinking and strategies for facing the future. It’s guaranteed to be a fast-paced, exciting event and not to be missed.

AAN & Animation Magazine partnership to grow African industry reach

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AAN and the world’s oldest and most prestigious animation-centric publication,
Animation Magazine (AniMag), have struck a deal that will lead to the launch (30
November, 2017) of a dedicated African Animation Network section on
AnimationMagazine.net. This will be the platform through which AAN will communicate
with the global industry.

Low Flow of Information:

At the moment there are only a few studios on the continent that have information on
their projects, staff, projects and processes readily available. This means that there is
a low flow of information to any potential audience, investors or to the world about
the state of the industry in Africa.

Industry-Leading Source:

AniMag is the industry-leading source for the global animation industry. This monthly
publication has been relied upon by studios, producers, entertainment industry
executives, and artists for news, insights, and information on animation globally for
three decades.

President and publisher of Animation Magazine, Jean Thoren said; “AniMag has been
an integral part of the global animation industry since its inception. More recently we
have been receiving and covering stories from Africa. We think we’re only scratching
the surface at a time when the animation sector in Africa is beginning to take shape.
This partnership with AAN will chronicle the development of the African animation
industry and the giant strides it is taking in joining the global community.’

Changing Perceptions:

It is important for Africa to change perceptions of itself globally. And, more
specifically, to profile the standard of work being done on the continent by animation
professionals. The intention of AAN is, through the flow of information from our
shores, to help create opportunities for African animation and graphics studios to work
with international producers, studios and broadcasters.

According to AAN’s project manager, Nick Wilson; “The African animation industry is
experiencing phenomenal growth. We have untapped human capital, exponential
audience growth and surging urbanisation- all drivers toward a sustainable industry
and generous long term return on investment. At AAN we believe that the reason that
there is not wholesale investment in the sector currently across the continent is that
investors don’t understand our value proposition and have largely never heard of us.
This partnership with AniMag intends to change that.’

To shed more light on the industry for both local and international players, AAN will
start by publishing one story a week. These will range from profiles to industry news.
AAN events will also be added to the annual Animation Magazine Calendar. Through it,
any event submitted to AAN will be added. Due to the nature of publishing, all
relevant events need to be submitted to AAN before the end of November for inclusion
in the printed calendar. In the coming months, AAN will increase the number and
variety of its stories on AnimationMagazine.net, with the intent of growing the
partnership in step with the African animation industry.

Call for Content:

To lead the way in this venture, AAN has appointed a new communications manager,
Garland-Waide Bradford. Bradford has written for animated TV series in the past and
more recently completed his BA Honours in Media Studies through UNISA. His
experience includes working as a communication strategist, and the management of
media in various phases of the production and broadcast value chain.

Bradford said: “I am passionate about contributing towards the creation of an African
animation industry that can sustain itself. AAN encapsulates many of the ideals that I
have regarding the empowerment of African (animation) storytellers. I am really
excited about this venture and invite national associations, studios, producers,
freelancers, journalists and bloggers to submit their content for potential
publication.’

D&AD opens calls for entries to the 56th Annual Awards

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• Jury presidents announced
• Two new Award categories introduced
• D&AD Festival set to return from 24 to 26 April 2018

The 56th Annual D&AD Awards are now open for entry, with two brand new categories
announced to celebrate the very best work in an ever-evolving creative landscape.

The 2018 Awards continue to support D&AD’s 56 year long purpose of stimulating,
celebrating and enabling creative excellence in design and advertising, in the firm
belief that great work always creates better outcomes. And as a not-for-profit
organisation D&AD put all its surpluses back into the industry it serves, helping new
talent prosper and campaigning for a fairer, more diverse, more sustainable industry.

This year, two new Award categories will be launched for entries. The first being
Collaborative, which will award continued creative executions achieved from a long-
standing relationship between an agency and a client. The second new category is
Experiential, which will highlight the importance of brilliant all encompassing brand
experience and activation. The category will recognise work that succeeds in
demonstrating the interaction between consumers and brands through experience-led
activations.

Tim Lindsay, D&AD CEO, said, “In a media environment that encourages the short-
term and tactical it’s never been more important to stand up for craft and creativity.
Why? Because the good creates better outcomes than the bad – commercially,
socially, sustainably, culturally and politically. D&AD’s role in this is stimulation, not
congratulation. There’s too much backslapping when what is needed is a focus on and
enablement of creative excellence in advertising and design. We are engaged in a war
against mediocrity and you are an important ally. Get involved!’

Donal Keenan, D&AD Awards director, adds, “For the second year running we’re proud
to achieve a 50/50 gender split across our global jury presidents. This year we have
actually surpassed that with over 50% of our jury presidents’ identifying as female. At
D&AD, we strive to ensure we have a true gender-balanced representation across
every category and judging panel, it’s important to achieve a true diversity of voices
in the room to identify the best creative work of the year.’

The Awards ceremony will be held on 26 April 2018 during the D&AD Festival, which
returns from 24 to 26 April 2018 at The Old Truman Brewery, Shoreditch. As ever, all
awarded work will appear in the D&AD Annual, released in the autumn, which is
available to purchase exclusively through D&AD. Winning work will also be on display
in an exhibition at the heart of D&AD Festival in addition to a packed three-day
programme of talks, debates, briefs, hacks, workshops and parties, culminating in the
56th annual D&AD Awards.

Entry Details

Work entered into D&AD Awards 2018 must have been commercially released
between 1 January 2017 and 18 March 2018 and been produced in genuine response
to a client brief. It must not have been entered in previous years. Submissions should
be made by 14 February 2018. The Awards cost from just £75 to enter this year. All
entries received by 6 December 2017 will save 10% on the cost of entry. Freelancers
and sole traders that are members of D&AD are eligible to receive a 20% discount.

Jury announcements will be made later in the year, full information on categories,
pricing and dates can be found on the D&AD website.

Urucu calls for submissions for the Realness Scriptwriters Residency 2018

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The Realness Scriptwriters’ Residency programme which seeks to nurture the best
African screenwriting talent across the world has opened it’s call for submissions.

Realness has developed into an ideal platform from which emerging talent can be
identified. Founded in 2015 by Urucu Media, this successful scriptwriters’ programme
is presented under the mentorship of Berlinale Talents and in partnership with Nirox
Foundation, Durban FilmMart, The French Institute of South Africa and Institute
Français’s La Fabrique des Cinemas du Monde, TorinoFilmLab, Locarno Filmmaker’s
Academy, Cocoon, The CNC ,TIFF and EAVE.

Urucu Media, is a well established South African production house, which currently has
two films in the race for the Best Foreign Language Category at the 2018 Academy
Awards: The Train of Salt and Sugar for Mozambique and The
Wound for South Africa.

Producer Elias Ribeiro, founder of both Urucu and Realness says: “It is rewarding to
look back 7 years when I moved to Johannesburg and started producing here, we
have managed to play a significant role in shifting the industry landscape and
showcasing the massive talent we have in this continent. I could not be more proud of
the opportunity to compete for the most prestigious award in Cinema with two films in
the same year. What is most gratifying is how this acknowledgement has already
increased access to opportunities and improved our capacity to support emerging
talent on the continent – which is a real passion for us. We have ambitious plans for
our programme in 2019 as we evolved Realness into an African Film Institute, RAFI.”

Applicants for the Screenwriters’ programme are required to submit a screenplay in
progress. The call for entries is open to fiction feature film scripts only. However,
there is no restriction on age, script length or genre. Submission is free, regardless of
geographical origin.

“We seek a selection that represents a rich and exciting diversity of contemporary
African perspectives. We encourage risk taking, originality and authenticity,’ explains
Ribeiro.

Since its launch, the residency has nurtured five African writers in each of its first two
years, growing into a prestigious incubator of emerging talent that is recognised
throughout the film community.

“This residency is at the forefront of African cinema and I truly believe in years to
come it will be regarded as one of the most important homes of a new wave of African
cinema…I cannot commend them enough for their passion and tenacity which drives
this initiative,’ says Fradique, Mario Bastos (2017 resident from Angola).

The five selected writers will participate in a programme that begins with five weeks
at Nirox Foundation in the Cradle of Humankind, where they will have the time and
space to develop their screenplays under the guidance of some of the industry’s top
professionals. This will be followed by an immersive industry experience at Africa’s
leading finance and co-production market, Durban FilmMart, which is a platform
where Residents will have an opportunity to present to their projects to potential
producers and financiers. Finally, the most promising projects will be awarded and
funded to participate in the prestigious La Fabrique des Cinemas du Monde in Cannes,
receive an EAVE Producers’ Workshop Scholarship, invitation to TorinoFilmLab
Meetings Event and Locarno Filmmakers Academy.

Mentor and script consultant Selina Ukwuoma has been part of the team that develops
Realness talents since the creation of the programme. She says, “with a pan-African
focus, the diversity of Africans is celebrated yet, the particular concerns that we have
in common come to the fore’. A strong addition to the team this year was producer
and script consultant Mmabatho Kau, who says , “What I loved and enjoyed most
about The Realness writing residency; as a script consultant, was that for the first
time, the voice of the writer is put first above all else. Realness is the perfect platform
to celebrate often forgotten and marginalised stories of Africa. I appreciate how the
programme also challenged my own strategies in helping writers bring their concepts
to fruition.’

Curator Liz Chege is the project manager for Realness 2018 says, “attracting interest
to Realness has been an absolute delight. Prospective partners have consistently
praised the quality of residents, the strength of the programme and the clear
longstanding effect Realness will have in the film industry, both locally and
internationally.’

Deadline for submissions is Thursday, 31 January 2018.
Visit the Urucu website realness for
further details and a list of materials or go to Twitter @realresidency, Instagram
@realnessresidency or Realness Residency on Facebook.

OTT growth, collaboration and a new era of pay TV delivery

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Written by Steeve Huin, vice president of Strategic Partnerships,
Irdeto

A media landscape where consumers can watch movies, TV programmes and sports at
any time, through any device they want, is the new reality around the world. Global
OTT revenues have been estimated by some to reach $65 billion by 2021. As
mentioned in my previous article for Screen Africa on 360
security, a
report from Digital TV Research has predicted that OTT revenues in sub-Saharan
Africa alone will reach US$640 million by 2022.

For operators, getting OTT services and content to as many screens as possible and
as quickly as possible is the key to winning customers. But they face challenges in
ensuring that consumers can receive premium content securely, and with the best
possible user experience.

Meanwhile, pure OTT services like Netflix, which launched in South Africa in January
2016 as part of a global expansion which saw it launch in 130 countries around the
world, have taken advantage of this consumer demand for OTT content. However, the
market dynamic between pay TV service providers and OTT service providers –
unyielding adversaries only a couple of years ago – is evolving.

Collaboration, content and control

Many operators today are looking for ways to collaborate with services like Netflix or
even non-traditional TV platforms. It’s clear by now that we are not living in an
“either/or’ scenario. Collaboration, or at least strategic co-existence is often a
practical and efficient way to enhance the overall user experience, which is a key
differentiate in today’s competitive market.

With so much content on offer globally, it has become difficult for one operator alone
to satisfy all the content demands of consumers, which is perhaps signalled by an
estimated leveling of global pay TV revenues and even subscriber decline in some
markets. The Global Pay TV Revenue Forecasts
report from Digital TV Research estimates that global pay TV revenues will peak
at just over $202 billion this year, but decline slightly to just under $200 billion by
2022. However, the same report estimates that pay TV revenues Sub-Saharan Africa
will surge by 57% (up by $2.40 billion to $6.59 billion) between 2016 and 2022.

Whether looking at a global or regional viewpoint, there is no denying that increasing
choice is changing consumer habits and demands. To meet these evolving needs, the
winning approach for operators is to offer a hybrid set-top box (STB) with linear TV
and OTT services – be it their own or from partners such as Netflix. This way the
operator controls the HDMI 1 and gets consumers to come to their platform for all
their content needs.

New content delivery platforms

Set-top box platforms have evolved over the past few years from closed environments
using proprietary middleware to increasingly open environments, such as Linux, RDK
and Android. While open environments cause some concerns among operators
regarding control and security, they create many business benefits that outweigh
these concerns.

On the far end of the “open’ spectrum’ is Android TV, an excellent option for
operators who want to launch a hybrid set top box quickly, with low development and
operational costs. By leveraging built-in features of Android TV, operators can add
their broadcast service in six to nine months, or shorter if they leverage a pre-
integrated solution from a security partner. Besides the cost and time advantages,
they give consumers instant access to thousands of OTT and other apps in the Google
Play Store. Android TV allows operators to future proof the STB and expand business
opportunities beyond media. Securing this open platform requires careful planning,
but it is well worth the work for the benefits Android TV offers.

Effort-free sign-on to reach new subscribers

However, what if the consumer is on the fence about your broadcast service? How can
you make the sign-on process easier and cheaper?
One is to embed CA directly into TVs, as Irdeto has recently done in partnership with
home and professional appliance manufacturer, Vestel. With pre-integrated pay TV
security capabilities within a TV, consumers can now have the best of both worlds –
instant access to their favourite pay TV service, on the big screen without extra
equipment. For operators this has the potential to make subscriber acquisition easier,
by providing consumers with friction less instant-access pay TV services on a new TV
that they purchase.

It’s clear that broadcast services will remain extremely important in the pay TV
market in sub-Saharan Africa for the foreseeable future, but demand is increasing for
OTT content across unmanaged devices as well. As they look a collaboration or just
co-existence with OTT players, operators must ensure they have an effective hybrid
strategy to delivering premium content to their customers securely, whether through
the STB, unmanaged devices or direct through the TV.

Irdeto will be exhibiting and discussing it’s TV Cloaked CA partnership with Vestel
at TV Connect Africa at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 7 to 9
November 2017.

Autodesk releases Flame Family 2018.3

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Autodesk recently released update 3 for its Flame 2018 family of 3D visual effects (VFX) and finishing software, which includes Flame, Flare, Flame Assist and Lustre. Flame 2018.3 empowers creative professionals to explore new, more efficient ways of working in post, with feature enhancements that offer greater pipeline flexibility, speed and support for emerging formats and technology.

Flame 2018.3 release highlights include:
– Action Selective: Apply FX colour to an image surface or the whole action scene via the camera
– Motion Warp Tracking: Organically distort objects that are changing shape, angle and form with new 32-bit motion vector-based tracking technology
– 360° VR Viewing Mode: View LatLong images in a 360° VR viewing mode in the Flame player or any viewport during compositing and manipulate the field of view
– HDR Waveform Monitoring: Set viewport to show luminance waveform; red, green, blue (RGB) parade; colour vectorscope or 3D cube; and monitor a range of HDR and wide colour gamut (WCG) colour spaces including Rec2100 PQ, Rec2020 and DCI P3

– Shotgun Software Loader: Load assets for a shot and build custom batches via Flame’s Python API, and browse a Shotgun project for a filtered view of individual shots
– User-Requested Improvements for Action, Batch, Timeline and Media Hub

Beta customers given advance access to Flame 2018.3 share their experiences with the latest release in production:

“Flame continues to be the top editorial and VFX solution out there, and 2018.3 is one of the best releases yet. Vector-based tracking will be transformative and has the potential to save hours, even days of work,’ says Out of House VFX artist David Stern. “The new release also includes more advanced selective tools that increase options from lightbox effects and keys through lightbox; it’s amazing.”

“The new standalone Python console in Flame 2018.3 is a great; together with pybox and Python hooks, it gives us everything we could possibly ask for in a piece of software while allowing us to get better organised and keep our workflow moving,” says Treehouse edit finishing artist John Fegan. “We’re also excited about the enhanced FBX export with physically based renderer (PBR) for Maya, and motion analysis updates, which are huge. Using motion vector maps, we can now achieve things we couldn’t with a planar tracker or 3D track.”

“One of the great things about Flame is that Autodesk is continuously delivering features through extension releases like 2018.3 that introduce new problem-solving tools and ways of working, like the Python API integration, which is a huge step forward for Flame,” says freelance compositing Aatist Marcel Lemme. “It brings another toolbox inside to an already great toolbox that I can use to build new solutions and automate processes, rather than do everything by hand, saving days of prep.”

Pricing and availability
Flame Family 2018.3 is available today at no additional cost to customers with a current Flame Family 2018 subscription. For more info, visit the Autodesk website.

The African Diaspora International Film Festival 2017 highlights

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The African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) celebrates its 25th anniversary with a total of 64 films from 31 countries including 31 world, US and NY premieres. Screenings will be held in three venues in Manhattan: Teachers College, Columbia University, Cinema Village and MIST Harlem.

The films in ADIFF 2017 – some coming directly from important national and international film festivals such as Sundance, Toronto or Berlinale – illustrate the diversification of the global film industry, from portraits of trailblazers of yesterday and today (Winnie, Sammy Davis Jr., Mama Africa: Miriam Makeba) to intimate stories that will touch the audience in many ways (The Citizen, Foreign Body, Rosa Chumbe).

National and international award-winning actors and filmmakers are celebrated in ADIFF this year including Bill Duke, Mika Kaurismaki, Hiam Abbass, Raja Amari, Roland Vranik, and Sam Pollard.

Some of the 2017 ADIFF highlights include:

Mama Africa: Miriam Makeba directed by Mika Kaurismaki (2011, 90 min South Africa/Germany)
This powerful documentary retraces the life, music and activism of international star Miriam Makeba, one of the first African musicians to win international stardom.

Silas by Anjali Nayar, Hawa Essuman (2017, 80min, Liberia/Canada/ South
Africa/ Kenya)
Liberian activist Silas Siakor is a tireless crusader against illegal logging. He’s watched multinational corporations wreak havoc on the environment while enriching themselves and impoverishing Liberians.

Winnie by Pascale Lamche (2017, 98min, France/South Africa)
Supremely controversial, Winnie Mandela has been labelled a woman condemned for her radical role in the liberation of her South African people under apartheid and beyond.

Black Cop by Cory Bowles (2017, 91min, Canada)
A black police officer (Ronnie Rowe Jr.) seeks revenge after being egregiously profiled and assaulted by his colleagues, in this searing political satire by actor-director Cory Bowles (Trailer Park Boys).

Foreign Body by Raja Amari, (2016, 92min, France/Tunisia)
After a dangerous passage from Tunisia, Samia finds refuge at her old friend Imed’s (Salim Kechiouche, Blue is the Warmest Color) apartment in Lyon. Hungry for independence, she finds work with wealthy Mrs Bertaud (Hiam Abbas, Insyriated).

The Citizen by Rolad Vranik (2016, 109 min, Hungary)
In his late fifties Wilson, whose family was killed during an outbreak of civil war in Guinea-Bissau, enters Europe as a political refugee and settles for a sedate life as a security guard in a Budapest shopping center. The story follows Wilson as he attempts to find his place in Hungarian society in his daily life, at work, with Mari, a history teacher who helps him study for the citizenship and falls in love with him.

Transit Havana – New Heroes of the Cuban Revolution by Daniel Abma,
(Cuba/Germany/Netherlands, 2016, 86min)
In Havana, transsexuals Odette, Juani and Malu wait for a sex reassignment surgery- performed by European top surgeons and organised by the president’s daughter, Mariela Castro. Castro is leading a sexual revolution combined with classic state socialism.

Created Equal by Bill Duke (USA, 2017, 91min)
This later drama by acclaimed filmmaker Bill Duke (Hoodlum, Sister Act II, Dark Girls) follows a cocky, up-and-coming attorney who begrudgingly takes on a case to sue the Archdiocese of New Orleans for sex discrimination; after a woman, who’s desperate to become a priest, solicits his help.

The Last Revolutionary by Michael Brewer (USA, 2017, 75min)
Mac Perkins is in his Los Angeles throwback hideout, plotting to stop an attack from the far right and racist groups around the country.

Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me by Sam Pollard (USA, 2017, 100min)

Directed by Peabody award-winning filmmaker Sam Pollard, Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me is the first major film documentary about the legendary Harlem-born entertainer.

Rosa Chumbe by Jonatan Relayze (Peru, 2016, 75min)
Peru’s 2018 official foreign language Oscar submission, Rosa Chumbe is about Rosa Chumbe, a mature police officer with both a gambling and a drinking problem who needs a miracle to save herself and her grandchild.

The Invisible Colour: Black Is More Than A Colour by Sergio Giral (USA, 2017,
47min)
This latest documentary by the Dean of Afro-Cuban Cinema Sergio Giral investigates the black Cuban exile community in South Florida, since the first wave of political refugees in the 1959 revolutionary aftermath, to today.

Sins of the Flesh by Khaled el Hagar (Egypt, 2016, 125 min)
From one of Egypt’s most controversial and taboo-breaking filmmakers comes a drama of betrayal, passion and political upheaval set against the backdrop of the Egyptian revolution.

Gurumbe: Afro-Andalousian Memories by M. Angel Rosale,
Spain/Mexico/Portugal/Senegal, 2016, 72min)
Flamenco is synonymous with Spanish culture. But the truth is that, since its inception, theorists have sidelined the fundamental contribution of Afro-Andalusians to that art form. In Gurumbe, that story is finally told!

Papilio Buddha by Jayan K. Cheria (India/ USA, 2013, 108 min)
Inspired by actual events, Papilio Buddha is a drama that focuses on the atrocities committed against landless Dalits, women and the environment in Kerala, South West India and the politics of suppression of their struggle against the upper castes and other powerful local forces.

KA Bodyscapes by Jayan K. Cherian (India, 2016, 99 min)
Three young people, Haris, a gay painter; Vishnu, a rural kabaddi player and their friend Sia, an activist who refuses to conform to dominant norms of femininity, struggle to find space and happiness in a conservative Indian City.

For more information about the 25th Annual African Diaspora International Film Festival, and to receive the complete line up, filmmakers and high resolution images please contact Diarah N’Daw-Spech at (212) 864-1760/ fax (212) 316-6020 or e-mail pr@nyadiff.org.

Huawei and Dolby Laboratories announce world’s first Dolby Vision-enabled set-top box

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Huawei and Dolby Laboratories, recently announced that the Huawei Q22 set-top box is the first IPTV set-top box in the world to support Dolby Vision high-dynamic-range (HDR) technology.

“Locally, with the rapid deployment of high speed broadband networks, IP video with its high quality video and interactive experience will attract a growing number of
users,” says Edison Xie, head of media relations Southern Africa region.

Leveraging the HDR innovation that powers Dolby’s most advanced cinemas around the world, Dolby Vision transforms the TV experience in the home by delivering greater brightness and contrast, as well as a fuller palette of rich colours. Dolby’s deep expertise in bringing advanced technologies from the cinema to the home has led to distinct features that enable Dolby Vision to deliver extraordinary viewing experiences to home consumers. Dolby today delivers spectacular experiences in broadcast, gaming, music, and other genres, and this expertise serves as the foundation that will enable Dolby Vision to drive the future of entertainment.

“It is tremendously exciting to see Huawei deliver the first IPTV set-top box with Dolby Vision support, adding to the ever-expanding list of Dolby Vision ecosystem partners,” said Giles Baker, senior vice president, Consumer Entertainment Group, Dolby Laboratories.

Xie adds, “We are ready, alongside local partners to deliver these IPTV set-top boxes to the market, and in so doing meet a multi-level demand.”

From content creation to distribution and playback, Dolby Vision is an end-to-end solution supported by leading Hollywood directors, major studios and distributors, and TV OEMs worldwide.

#Uniting4Climate VR/360-video pitch competition call for submissions

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If you are passionate about our planet, this is the right challenge for you! The competition is open to everyone over 18 years old who is committed to protecting our common home.

Send an illustrative video concept (<1 min) together with a written description ( <400 words) and an explanation of detailed plans for the production of a VR/360-video on how are we “Uniting for Climate Action.”

The video pitch submissions are expected to highlight solutions to overcoming climate
challenges such as vulnerable and coastal communities, rising and warming oceans, managing fresh water resources, preventing pollution and waste, building smarter and more resilient cities and showing the inter-connectors with other climate actions.

The submissions should describe simple, but ingenious ideas that will enable relatively low cost VR production with the focus primarily on the subject matter rather than the technique. The potential cost vis-a-vis the creativity envisaged will be taken into account in the judging process.

Submissions and rules are available on their website. Content, innovation, originality and overall impact of the project are the main focus of the pitch.

Within the Framework of COP23, the World Bank’s Global Partnership Programme, Connect4Climate will present the Uniting4Climate communications campaign in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Fiji’s incoming Presidency of COP23 , Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and other partners.

The deadline for the VR/360-Video pitch entry will be after COP23 in Bonn, Germany on 18 November 2017.

The winner will have the opportunity to work with Connect4Climate to transform their proposal into a VR 360-video (Virtual Reality).

Runners up will also receive special recognition at relevant Connect4Climate events as well as visibility and promotion through the social media channels of Connect4Climate and partners.

AAN in partnership with SSTREAMM will launch the AAN SVOD mobile channel

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Animation is a powerful medium for visual storytelling. The industry is worth billions of dollars internationally. However, studios on the African continent have traditionally not been able to access this revenue. This is in part due to the lack of distribution channels available to reach any potential audience.

Strength-In-Numbers:

The African Animation Network’s (AAN) talent-driven, social enterprise was created to address these issues facing the industry on the continent. AAN has partnered with national animation associations, comic conventions and studios in East, Southern and West Africa. It hopes that, through this strength-in-numbers approach, it will be able it to assist in building a self-sustaining African animation sector.

Two-Pronged Approach- Africa & Diaspora:

The first step in reaching this goal is a two-pronged approach; in accessing MTN’s Subscriber Video On Demand (SVOD) platform in Africa, and satiating the African diaspora’s thirst for home-grown content, AAN has in this regard partnered, respectively with; SSTREAMM (MTN’s streaming and VOD service provider) and DreamAfrica (the SVOD mobile application and enterprise as seen at TED Talks, Harvard University and 3 Rivers Screenwriters Conference and The Next Africa).

African Focus:

AAN’s initial focus is short-form, animated content. Beyond the popularity of this genre in animation consumption, it also makes it possible for audiences with limited bandwidth and producers with limited budget to access audience and generate the highest quality African animation content possible. Furthermore, it frees animation producers up to generate completed projects in shorter time frames whilst not requiring a lot of resources and finance.

In the short-term, AAN endeavours to attract animation content producers and studios who can deliver episodic content of consistent quality and generate an ancillary revenue stream for them. A scheduled delivery of new content is key to building an audience which will be central to creating a sustainable African animation industry. The target audience has also been carefully chosen after research revealed that children’s animation (pre-school to 12 years old) is the biggest driver behind the billion-dollar, global, animation industry.

Africa, with a population of 1.2 billion people, is the 3rd largest territory by population globally (behind China & India), has the fastest urbanising population in the world, is the fastest growing smart device market globally and has a burgeoning middle-class- with current estimates at +-300 million people.

Nick Wilson, project manager of AAN said; “At MIPCOM 2012, one of the keynote speeches was on #SocialTV. The discussion centred on digital technology/social media as a 2nd screen. In Africa however, digital technology is 1st screen. Depending on which market research company you quote, TV penetration is about 10% in Africa. That equates to approximately 120 million TVs, whilst mobile penetration is significantly higher- MTN alone (the largest telecommunications service provider in Africa) has 236 million sim cards in circulation. There is a straightforward analogy; Africa bypassed fixed-line telecommunications and went straight to cellular- the same is happening in the broadcast space. Within 5-10 years, Africa will be at the frontier of digital content distribution and consumption trends globally – not only in animation but across all broadcast mediums.”

Greg Upton, managing director of SSTREAMM, continued; “We have a robust platform on the single biggest telecommunications infrastructure in Africa. We are excited about creating a platform for the fledgling African animation industry and are looking for the very best animated content that represents the richness and diversity of cultures on the continent.”

AAN, in partnership with SSTREAMM will launch the AAN SVOD Mobile Channel, targeting kids aged 2-12 years; in late November 2017 at a rate of R2/day (R60/month or +-$4.5/month). The AAN SVOD mobile channel will initially launch in South Africa and will be rolled-out to the rest of the MTN footprint on a territory-by-territory basis in the next year.

International Focus:

Another key component to both creating; a self-sustaining industry and, changing perceptions of Africa, is to find an international audience. One avenue to this goal is the market of African expats. AAN hopes to reach this internationally-based African community through its partnership with DreamAfrica.

DreamAfrica is an SVOD application/service, not dissimilar to MTN’s SSTREAMM, that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. It empowers content creators to reach new audiences through its international reach.

AAN and DreamAfrica, through this partnership, have negotiated a content exchange. An AAN channel will be created on DreamAfrica’s platform for AAN content suppliers to showcase their titles to the African audience living in the diaspora, whilst simultaneously, DreamAfrica will have a channel within the AAN bouquet for them to showcase their popular, multicultural animated content. The DreamAfrica app is available on the PlayStore and offers its services at $5.99/month, making it a tempting offer to this possible audience.

As a platform DreamAfrica will act as an innovation and curation partner to AAN members. It is already home to the popular African animation series Bino and Fino, Azizi Tales, and Storried Nigeria. As the founder of the SVOD service, Brian Asingia from Uganda forged the partnership with AAN as part of its mission to grow their children’s offering.

Asingia said; “DreamAfrica is a global initiative to create, discover and celebrate multicultural storytellers through a regional lens. As seen at TED Talks, Harvard University, and 3 Rivers Screenwriters Conference, we are redefining the narrative around cross-cultural representation across the world. With this in mind, collaboration with AAN was natural as we have many aligned and common goals.”

Call for Content:

AAN hopes to expand on its catalogue of animation producers through its call for content. The AAN DreamAfrica and MTN SSTREAMM channels endeavour to give as many animation producers as possible a platform for their stories to shine.

Submissions are now open for short-form animated content aimed at pre-school to 12-year-old children.

Submit your content HERE.

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