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Tag: AFRIFF

  • AFRIFF2017: Applause for Keneth Gyang’s The Lost Café

    AFRIFF2017: Applause for Keneth Gyang’s The Lost Café

    …As series of film screenings, conversations mark Day 2

    The highlight of Day 2 at the ongoing Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) was the World Premiere of Kenneth Gyang’s new offering, ‘The Lost Café’, a collaboration between Nigeria and Norway, starring Tunde Aladese, Belinda Effah and Ann Njemanze playing alongside Norwegian cast like Terje Lien, Jenny Bonden and Anders Lidin Hansen.

    Gyang has earned his place as a notable filmmaker for award-winning films and television series which include Confusion Na Wa (2013), Blood and Henna (2012). Thus, expectations were high for this new film that eventually proved his worth again.
    The film which received loud applause at the AFRIFF Premiere on Monday, is a collaboration between Peridot and Gyang’s Cinema Kpatakpata firm.

    The film is an uplifting story about a girl’s decision to rise above dark family secrets and culture shock to live her dreams abroad, finding the most unusual answers to her troubling questions somewhere in Drammen where she meets the half blind, strange owner of a quaint coffee shop that serves the best coffee in the world.
    The Lost Cafe had support from Angenieux in France, Catapult Film in Norway and Project Act Nollywood in Nigeria.

    AFRIFF continues to bubble with other film activities, including perspectives from behind the camera, an interesting keynote conversation bothering on matters relating to technical film crew with emphasis on Nigeria was facilitated by BCI studios. Some of the most reliable names who work behind the scenes like Bose Oshin, Baba Agba and Queen Martins were on hand to give details on the realities of filming in Nigeria.
    This was followed by a keynote conversation facilitated by Forde Pro on the role of technology and strategic partnerships in getting African content on the global scene. Panelists included Judith Audu (Just Not Married), Don Omope (Tatu, The Wedding Party) and Nadia Denton, curator of the British Council’s Film Connects programme.
    In the same vein, the Canon Basic DSLR Filmmaking training and talent workshop for young students facilitated by Leke Alabi-Isama commenced at the Afrinolly space in Oregun, Ikeja. So did the acting and screenplay workshops headlined by Hilda Dokubo and Victor Sanchez-Aghahowa respectively.
    Kunle Afolayan with some foreign delegates

    At the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas, a series of short films, including ones by student filmmakers were screened, dealing with various aspects of the African reality. Richard Odilu’s ‘Oreva’ highlights mental illness and its tragic consequences on a family. ‘Still Water Runs Deep’ examines toxic masculinity while ‘The Mob’ (from Ghana) teases the aftermath of a suspected same sex relationship. ‘Visions’, an experimental collaborative anthology from the trio of Abba T. Makama, CJ Obasi and Michael Omonua was also screened.

    The quirky Ghanaian marital relations drama ‘Keteke’ (Train) directed by Peter Sedufia and starring Lydia Forson and Adjetey Anang was screened, as well as Kunle Afolayan’s ‘Roti’, a feature length on the subject of reincarnation which the acclaimed director made in collaboration with Africa Magic.

    Tunde Aladese, lead actress in The Lost Cafe flanked by fellow cast members

    Over at Silverbird cinemas, the line-up of shorts and student shorts screened included ‘Yemoja: Rise of the Orisha’, an interrogation of identity and importance of finding self, ‘Zawaja Gali’ (Marriage is expensive) explores traditional practices revolving around the ceremony of marriage in African societies while ‘Chicha’, from Cameroon deals with the consequences of actions taken.

    ‘Faulty’ hinges its plot on male pride while the documentary, ‘Les Sauteurs’, a collaboration between Senegal and Denmark is a timely take on immigrants and the perils they must face in search of a better life.

    Asurf Oluseyi’s ‘Hakkunde’, screening in competition stars Kunle Idowu as a young Nigerian man who leaves the city of Lagos, bullied by his elder sister and finds his way to Kaduna, where he gets a new lease on life.

    Biola Alabi with Mahmood Ali Balogun

    The Africa International Film Festival is an annual weeklong, all-encompassing world class showcase running from 29, October to 4, November 2017.

    This year, about 200 carefully curated feature lengths, shorts, documentaries and student films are being screened at the festival.

    AFRIFF, which has Access Bank as lead sponsor, is supported by other great agencies like the Institut Francaise, British Council, Africa Magic, Air France, AfriNolly, Accelerate TV, Genesis Deluxe Cinema, and Silverbird Cinemas among others.

  • More prospects for film business as AFRIFF 2017 opens in Lagos

    More prospects for film business as AFRIFF 2017 opens in Lagos

    The Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF,) began its 7th Season with a prospect of more support for film business, as government representatives, business leaders and developmental agencies made exciting speeches, at a glamorous ceremony held Sunday night, at the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas, The Palms, Lekki, Lagos.

    The Opening Night films; ‘Waiting for Hassana’, a Short on the abducted Chibok girls, directed by Ifunanya Maduka,  and ‘I am not a Witch’, a Zambian film by Rungano Nyoni, were a befitting food for thought, as they highlight topical social issues relating to African children.

    Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who welcomed all delegates to the festival, expressed his administration’s willingness to support the creative industry through grants, tax breaks and funding opportunities.

    He said: “I will re-iterate a few of the initiatives we are pursuing:

    “We are pushing for a single-digit interest on loans for infrastructural developments for the Industry. We are supporting the building of 100 community cinemas to be evenly spread across the country. We are close to having world-class pre- and post-production facility using the current NTA infrastructure with a few additions. We want to ensure that in the focus on studio facilities, we ensure that one is located in every geo-political zone of the country. And on the back of the DIGITAL SWITCH-OVER of our television, we are ensuring that the set top boxes are enabled to allow our 24 million TV households to buy our movies with and without the need of data. This way, the home goes digital!”

    It was a night of great promises for AFRIFF and the Nigerian film industry, as Managing Director of Access Bank, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, whose bank returns as lead sponsor of the festival, pledged more support for filmmakers, especially through the AFRIFF/Accelerate Filmmakers Project, an initiative set up to help burgeoning filmmakers to nurture their ideas. Wigwe, who is also the patron of AFRIFF, stressed the importance of film as a powerful tool for Africans to tell their stories, different from the usual story of poverty, often projected by the Western media.

    Representing the Governor of Lagos state, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, welcomed delegates to the centre of excellence and positioned AFRIFF as ‘’one of the leading creative platforms in Africa that has been consistent, truly awe inspiring and which has found the Lagos arty landscape compatible with its own vision.’’

    Introducing the opening night films, former governor of Akwa Ibom state and current Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio gave a lengthy account of his efforts to bring the exaggerated problem of witchcraft, associated to children in the state to an end. According to Akpabio, his administration had succeeded through education, convictions and rehabilitation in halting the dangerous trend.

    Also speaking at the event, French Consul General, Lagos, Mr. Laurent Polonceaux said; “This is a great opportunity for us because this is the first time that the French government is involved with Africa. We will be having two days at the festival for French films, with possibility of co-production with Nigeria and Africa.” He noted that it was good that the festival will be closing with the French film, ‘Felicite’, and disclosed that arrangement has been made to have about 70 film students for further training in France as an exchange programme with AFRIFF.

    The opening ceremony started with a red carpet show that had celebrities like Wale Ojo, Hilda Dokubo, Uche Jombo, Kemi Lala Akindoju, Judith Audu, Linda Ejiofor, Hilda Dokubo and Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi.

    Others dignitaries include star filmmakers and film entrepreneurs such as Mahmood Ali-Balogun, Biola Alabi, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, Fred Amata, Zick Zulu Okafor, Kunle Afolayan, CJ Obasi, Belinda Yanga, Kenneth Uphopho, as well as media personalities like Fidelis Anosike, CEO of Daily Times, Shaibu Husseini of The Guardian, and Ameyaw Debrah from Ghana.

    AFRIFF is an annual week-long, all-encompassing world class showcase running from October 29 to November 4, 2017.

    About 200 carefully curated feature length, short, documentary and student films will be screened this year.

    The festival also encompasses talent development classes, industry workshops and inspiring creative discussions.

    Photos: Adeolu Adeniyi

  • “Still Water Runs Deep” set for African premiere at AFRIFF

    “Still Water Runs Deep” set for African premiere at AFRIFF

    New York—based filmmaker, Abbesi Akhamie’s acclaimed short film, ‘Still Water Runs Deep’, will return home for its African premiere at this year’s Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF). 

    The film was produced by Melissa Adeyemo, an MBA graduate of New York University, who will be attending the festival.

    The film tells the intimate story of a stern father, whose concealed emotions begin to stir when faced with the portent of a missing son. Veteran theater and film actor, Toyin Oshinaike, leads an all-star cast that includes Rita Edward and Yemi Adebiyi.

    The film had its World Premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) where it received a warm reception, having been opened to two full-house screenings.

    ‘Still Water Runs Deep’ was written and directed by Abbesi, a New York University MFA graduate. The Nigerian-American duo are truly excited about presenting the film to the Nigerian audience.

    As AFRIFF opens this Sunday, Melissa will be in attendance along with the cast for the film’s first screening on Monday, October 30 at 2:30 PM at the Genesis Cinema, Palms Mall, Lekki, Lagos.

    An additional screening is scheduled for Wednesday, November 1 at 7:30 PM at the same venue.

    The film is in competition at the festival for Best Student Short.

     Still Water Runs Deep’s trailer. is a delight on YouTube.

  • AFRIFF partners French Embassy, British Council on exchange programmes

    AFRIFF partners French Embassy, British Council on exchange programmes

     …As festival opens October 29

    Organisers of Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) have announced the return of the festival for 2017.

    Scheduled to run from October 29 to November 4, 2017, the annual event marks AFRIFF’s 7th season of celebrating African cinema in Nigeria.

    At a glitzy media launch which took place at British Council, Ikoyi, Lagos, Tuesday night, the atmosphere tells of how eager industry players are, for another week of cinematic experience, business networking, movie premieres, film screenings, industry sessions, master classes, workshops, the Globe Awards, and other events that have become the hallmark of the AFRIFF journey since it made debut in 2010.

    It is a season of international collaborations for AFRIFF with the French government coming in to strengthen its commercial and artistic exchanges with Nigeria.

    “The importance of AFRIFF, that is growing year after year, is a wonderful showcase for us,” says French Consul General, Lagos, Mr. Laurent Polonceaux, who described the annual event as “one of the most important film festivals in Africa.”

    Interestingly, AFRIFF 2017 is dedicating two days – November 2-3, 2017 to French films.

    This is just as British Council, UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities is bringing the London BFI (British Film Institute) into a new partnership with AFRIFF.

    Tagged ‘Film Connections’, the British Council’s partnership also aims to share knowledge and give pep to co-production opportunities between filmmakers from Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

    AFRIFF Founder/Executive Director Ms. Chioma Ude announced ‘Waiting for Hassana’, a short film by Ifunanya ‘funa’ Maduka (Nigeria/US) and a feature, ‘I Am Not a Witch’ by Rungano Nyoni (Zambia) as the opening night films while ‘Felicite’, an Oscar contender by Alain Gomis (France/Senegal) is the closing night film.

    Ude said AFRIFF is well prepared to host filmmakers and actors from around the world this year, noting that the festival continues to attract interests with a record of 3,232 film entries received this year alone.

    She announced the films in competition which include 24 shorts, 11 documentaries and 14 feature length films, while all the films in official selection will be uploaded to the festival website on October 9.

    According to British Council Head of Arts, West Africa, Ojoma Ochai, “As part of the Film Connections project, the 2017 AFRIFF will open with the screening of the Rungano Nyoni film ‘I Am Not a Witch’, on the 29th of October. There will also be screening of several acclaimed British feature and short films during the festival – showing for the first time in Nigeria, including ‘Whitney ‘Can I Be Me’ by multi-award winning British Documentarian, Nick Broomfield; ‘Under the Shadow’ by Babak Anvari, winner of the 2017 BAFTA award for outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer; and ‘A Moving Image’ by Shola Amoo.”

    “During the two days devoted to French cinema,” says Polonceaux, “we will welcome here in Lagos, high level professionals working in the production and distribution, and last but not the least, because it is a fundamental element in the funding of the cinema industry, I particularly would like to mention the participation of David Kessler, the Managing Director of Studio Orange and the Director of Orange Content. He’s a leading figure in the French cinema industry. He was among other important positions, the former director of the CNC.”

    He noted that, for the first time in France, “two Nollywood movies (The Dinner and 10 Days in Sun City) have been commercially released two weeks ago. That’s a first step, but I am sure it will intensify in the coming years.”

    The five French movies that will be screened during AFRIFF include ‘Step by Step’, an emotional movie about the physical reconstruction of a man after a serious accident; ‘Wulu’, a Franco-Malian film, ‘Boarders’, a road-trip between Bamako and Lagos; French Blockbuster ‘Valerian’ by Luc Besson, and ‘He Even Has Your Eyes’, the story of Paul and Sali, a married couple who have been struggling to adopt a child for a long time.

     

  • AFRIFF 2017 announces festival activities

    AFRIFF 2017 announces festival activities

    …As French Embassy, British Council launch exchange programmes

    Organisers of Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) have announced the return of the festival for 2017.
    The stars come out for AFRIFF 2017

    The Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF,) the biggest film gathering this side of the Atlantic, kick-started its 7th Season in spectacular style, at a ceremony heavy on star wattage, Sunday night, at the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas, The Palms, Lekki, Lagos.
    This year, there was a double dose of films, as the opening night selection consisted of one short film, ‘Waiting for Hassana’, an ode to the missing Chibok girls, abducted from their secondary school in 2014, directed by Ifunanya Maduka, and the Zambian entry, ‘I am not a Witch’, helmed by Rungano Nyoni. Both films were selected on the strength of their merits, as they highlight important topical social issues relating to African children.

    Kemi Lala Akindoju, Wale Ojo, Uche Jombo, Linda Ejiofor, Hilda Dokubo and Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi were some of the A-list stars who made their appearance on the red carpet.
    Others dignitaries include filmmakers and film entrepreneurs such as Biola Alabi, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, Fred Amata, Zick Zulu Okafor, Kunle Afolayan, CJ Obasi, Belinda Yanga, Kenneth Uphopho, as well as media personalities like Shaibu Husseini and Ameyaw Debrah from Ghana.
    Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who welcomed all delegates to the festival, expressed his administration’s willingness to support the creative industry through grants, tax breaks and funding opportunities.
    He said: “I will re-iterate a few of the initiatives we are pursuing:
    “We are pushing for a single-digit interest on loans for infrastructural developments for the Industry. We are supporting the building of 100 community cinemas to be evenly spread across the country. We are close to having world-class pre- and post-production facility using the current NTA infrastructure with a few additions. We want to ensure that in the focus on studio facilities, we ensure that one is located in every geo-political zone of the country. And on the back of the DIGITAL SWITCH-OVER of our television, we are ensuring that the set top boxes are enabled to allow our 24 million TV households to buy our movies with and without the need of data. This way, the home goes digital!”
    It was a night of great promises for AFRIFF and the Nigerian film industry, as Managing Director of Access Bank, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, whose bank returns as lead sponsor of the festival, pledged more support for filmmakers, especially through the AFRIFF/Accelerate Filmmakers Project, an initiative set up to help burgeoning filmmakers to nurture their ideas. Wigwe, who is also the patron of AFRIFF, stressed the importance of film as a powerful tool for Africans to tell their stories, different from the usual story of poverty, often projected by the Western media.
    Representing the Governor of Lagos state, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, welcomed delegates to the centre of excellence and positioned AFRIFF as ‘’one of the leading creative platforms in Africa that has been consistent, truly awe inspiring and which has found the Lagos arty landscape compatible with its own vision.’’
    Introducing the opening night films, former governor of Akwa Ibom state and current Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio gave a lengthy account of his efforts to bring the exaggerated problem of witchcraft, associated to children in the state to an end. According to Akpabio, his administration had succeeded through education, convictions and rehabilitation in halting the dangerous trend.
    Also speaking at the event, French Consul General, Lagos, Mr. Laurent Polonceaux said; “This is a great opportunity for us because this is the first time that the French government is involved with Africa. We will be having two days at the festival for French films, with possibility of co-production with Nigeria and Africa.” He noted that it was good that the festival will be closing with the French film, ‘Felicite’, and disclosed that arrangement has been made to have about 70 film students for further training in France as an exchange programme with AFRIFF.
    The Africa International Film Festival is an annual week-long, all-encompassing world class showcase running from October 29 to November 4, 2017.
    About 200 carefully curated feature length, short, documentary and student films will be screened this year. The festival also encompasses talent development classes, industry workshops and inspiring creative discussions.

    Scheduled to run from October 29 to November 4, 2017, the annual event marks AFRIFF’s 7th season of celebrating African cinema in Nigeria.

    At a glitzy media launch which took place at British Council, Ikoyi, Lagos, Tuesday night, the atmosphere tells of how eager industry players are, for another week of cinematic experience, business networking, movie premieres, film screenings, industry sessions, master classes, workshops, the Globe Awards, and other events that have become the hallmark of the AFRIFF journey since it made debut in 2010.

    It is a season of international collaborations for AFRIFF with the French government coming in to strengthen its commercial and artistic exchanges with Nigeria.

    “The importance of AFRIFF, that is growing year after year, is a wonderful showcase for us,” says French Consul General, Lagos, Mr.. Laurent Polonceaux, who described the annual event as “one of the most important film festivals in Africa.”

    Interestingly, AFRIFF 2017 is dedicating two days – November 2-3, 2017 to French films

    This is just as British Council, UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities is bringing the London BFI (British Film Institute) into a new partnership with AFRIFF.

    Tagged ‘Film Connections’, the British Council’s partnership also aims to share knowledge and give pep to co-production opportunities between filmmakers from Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

    AFRIFF Founder/Executive Director Ms. Chioma Ude announced ‘Waiting for Hassana’, a short film by Ifunanya ‘funa’ Maduka (Nigeria/US) and a feature, ‘I Am Not a Witch’ by Rungano Nyoni (Zambia) as the opening night films while ‘Felicite’, an Oscar contender by Alain Gomis (France/Senegal) is the closing night film.

    Ude said AFRIFF is well prepared to host filmmakers and actors from around the world this year, noting that the festival continues to attract interests with a record of 3,232 film entries received this year alone.

    She announced the films in competition which include 24 shorts, 11 documentaries and 14 feature length films, while all the films in official selection will be uploaded to the festival website on October 9.

    According to British Council Head of Arts, West Africa, Ojoma Ochai, “As part of the Film Connections project, the 2017 AFRIFF will open with the screening of the Rungano Nyoni film ‘I Am Not a Witch’, on the 29th of October. There will also be screening of several acclaimed British feature and short films during the festival – showing for the first time in Nigeria, including ‘Whitney ‘Can I Be Me’ by multi-award winning British Documentarian, Nick Broomfield; ‘Under the Shadow’ by Babak Anvari, winner of the 2017 BAFTA award for outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer; and ‘A Moving Image’ by Shola Amoo.”

    “During the two days devoted to French cinema,” says Polonceaux, “we will welcome here in Lagos, high level professionals working in the production and distribution, and last but not the least, because it is a fundamental element in the funding of the cinema industry, I particularly would like to mention the participation of David Kessler, the Managing Director of Studio Orange and the Director of Orange Content. He’s a leading figure in the French cinema industry. He was among other important positions, the former director of the CNC.”

    He noted that, for the first time in France, “two Nollywood movies (The Dinner and 10 Days in Sun City) have been commercially released two weeks ago. That’s a first step, but I am sure it will intensify in the coming years.”

    The five French movies that will be screened during AFRIFF include ‘Step by Step’, an emotional movie about the physical reconstruction of a man after a serious accident; ‘Wulu’, a Franco-Malian film, ‘Boarders’, a road-trip between Bamako and Lagos; French Blockbuster ‘Valerian’ by Luc Besson, and ‘He Even Has Your Eyes’, the story of Paul and Sali, a married couple who have been struggling to adopt a child for a long time.

    Photos: Adeolu Adeniyi

  • How we select film students for scholarship, by AFRIFF Founder, Chioma Ude

    How we select film students for scholarship, by AFRIFF Founder, Chioma Ude

    Founder/ CEO of the popular Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), Ms Chioma Ude has shed light on the process of selecting film students as beneficiaries of the festival’s annual scholarship scheme overseas.

    Ude, while addressing a press conference at the new AFRIFF office at CBC Building, Lekki, Lagos on Wednesday said the segments of the festival are run by experts  from different fields, making the selection of 20 students from the 200 who attend the annual Talent Development Workshop a thorough and professional exercise.

    “AFRIFF is not a one-man show. We have different people and organizations handling different segments of the festival. For the training segment, the teachers handling the courses are involved in the selection. Last year, we had about three thousand entries and we had to select two hundred for thye training.”

    To underscore the democratic nature of the selection, Ude said, “The selection of the 20 students who get further training abroad is done by the different lecturers, some of them provided by Ford Foundation, some provided by other sponsors like African Magic. The lecturers choose a student based on their own professional criteria. That way, the festival team has nothing to do with the selection. However, because this is my brainchild, they always leave three spots for me. So, I come, watch these students on the last day of their training, interact with them, ask some questions and then pick three of them that I find exceptionally brilliant. Most of the times, I ended up picking students that the lecturers already selected. For example, last year, the three names I chose had been chosen by the lecturers.”

    Ude disclosed that while some of the teachers came from abroad, some are Nigerians with proven record of achievements in their fields. They include Script Writer Tunde Babalola and actor Segun Arinze. “For script writing, I know there is a template internationally, but the students connect better with the Nigerian teachers. So, we had to find one with very good repute and we stuck with Tunde Babalola. For the acting class, we started off with Segun Arinze and later paired him with a foreign teacher. Then, last year, popular actress, Hilda Dokubo, who has a training and vocational school in Port Harcourt took over the Acting class from Segun Arinze. For the Cinematography class, last year, we had Cannon bring in their experts to handle the classes.”

    On her staying power despite the challenges of organising the festival and seeking sponsorship yearly, Ude said, “For AFRIFF generally, my staying power has been the training. And the training, for me, is just knowing that a complete package for the ecosystem is here. We train them in different aspects of filmmaking. It’s important we do this because we need our films to improve, we need our stories told well. When we were coming out with the plan, we hoped that we will impact on the industry and the society at large and move from that to actually seeing them make such impact.”

    Out of the 20 film students on scholarship at CineF’ Abrique, a film school in Lyon, France, Ford Foundation will cater for 10. How does the festival make up for the remaining 10.

    “AFRIFF has other sponsors. We have other people and institutions backing us. They include Access Bank, Air France that will be flying the students, Alliance Francaise that will be offering the requisite intensive tutorial in French language before they travel, and several others. It is important to know that this French lesson is pertinent to the students even though they will be taught in English language when they get to Lyon. The French are very big in art and culture, so for them it goes beyond just training in the classroom. They’ve created a two-week program for them. They will also go on a tour of Paris and its beautiful sites,” she explained.

  • AFRIFF students set for scholarship in France

    AFRIFF students set for scholarship in France

    The Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) is set to send another set of film students on scholarship – this time, to CineFabrique, a film school in Lyon, France.

    The scholarship is the third in the series, whereby 20 students are selected from the 200 that participate in the AFRIFF Talent Development Workshops annually for further training abroad. The talent workshop is an intrinsic part of the festival programmes that has held sway for seven years.

    Unveiling the next set of beneficiaries at a press conference attended by representatives of partner institutions – Ford Foundation and Alliance Francaise on Wednesday, AFRIFF Founder/CEO, Ms Chioma Ude said all is set for the 20 students selected from last year’s workshop to embark of the training – a six-week summer course in the French city.

    The initiative, she said, provides beginners and intermediate courses for young people in their choice areas of filmmaking.

    Shedding light on this, Mr. Paul Nwulu, Program Officer at Ford Foundation said the scholarship scheme, meant to advance the aspirations of these burgeoning talents, is an intensive hands-on training camp on various aspects of filmmaking.

    “What we have done for the last two years was to use the AFRIFF to select young filmmakers who went to Montana State University in the U.S. to do an extensive course on documentary filmmaking, focusing on social justice documentaries. And that focus was because that is what Ford Foundation is interested in. We are looking at issues that make the lives of human beings better, so, the young people went there to learn these issues.”

    He said Ford Foundation will only cater for 10 of the students who are females because the previous editions had more male participation, adding that his institutions is also concerned with advancing the career of women.

    “One of the things that make this year unique is that we actually asked AFRIFF to focus on young women to tell these stories and why we did that is because we looked at the data for the first two years, we trained about 36 young people over the first two years and women were ‘marginalized’ in that process. We had less than half of women and we felt like, if we look at our society today, women are the most ‘marginalized’ groups in our society. Even though they make half the population of this country, they are nowhere in our parliament in this country; we have less than five percent of women there. Also, look at governor’s appointed positions; we have a lot less women than any other country in the region.”

    The last two seasons had Ford Foundation bankrolling the scholarship at the prestigious Montana State University, United States. Nwulu said the Foundation is encouraged to support AFRIFF on the scholarship because feedback from previous efforts has been laudable.

    “This year, we have decided to move the location from Montana to Lyon, France to give a different type of experience, and for Ford Foundation, one of the reasons why we decided to partner AFRIFF is because, if you look at very viable partners that are dealing in the space of storytelling, AFRIFF is one of them, with their film festival and their engagement in trying to get African stories out to a global audience. We could not ask for a better partner to work with.”

    As a prerequisite to the six-week summer course in France, the students from the 2016 AFRIFF class will be exposed to a requisite French language tutorial at the popular Alliance Française in Lagos.

    According to Mrs Emmanualle Ravot, Deputy Director/Director of Studies at Alliance Francaise, the French lesson is expected to prepare the students in the areas of French courtesies and cultural background, even though the students will be taught filmmaking in English language.

    After the course, they are expected to be taken on a tour of Paris and its beautiful sites, including France 24 where plans are on to make them go through brief internship.

    Ude said the scholarship is one in a series of other talent development initiatives of the seven-year-old festival, adding that the skill acquisition and youth development initiative was designed to use filmmaking as an authentic vehicle for youth empowerment.

    “AFRIFF’s vision is to raise awareness about African cinema, its vast potential and the tremendous socio-economic impact of creative professionals in Africa. The first four years of the festival were strategically intended to build the AFRIFF brand and gain the brand notoriety that has now earned us partnership with global brands like Access Bank, Air France, Ford Foundation, Relativity Media, British Council and Alliance Francaise among others,” she said.

    The beneficiaries include 18 Nigerians – Linda Omena Sodje, Adejumoke Aderounmu, Tosin Adeyemi, Hannah Babatunde, Jennifer Eneanya, Olubunmi Ajiboye, Lois Burutu, Cynthia Okoroafor, Olaniran Adedapo Aisida, Marvellous Michael, Bolaji Adelakun, Moyo Shomade, Chisom Ifeakandu, Ekene Nwonye, Ngozi Emmanuel, Obodoakor Emelie, Demola Adedoyin, Vivian Ubochi, and two Ghanaians – Joseph Otsiman and Richard Ofoe.

  • AFRIFF 2017 calls for entries

    As the prestigious Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) is reopening in Lagos, Nigeria, for its 7th edition, in November 2017, the body has announced its call for entries.

    The Festival hosts in official competition several categories: short films, feature films, documentaries, animated films, short films of film students.

    Filmmakers have until July 30th 2017 to submit their entries via https://filmfreeway. com/festival/AFRIFF.

    Entries are also encouraged from french and francophone filmmakers in the following countries as well: Bénin, Burkina-Faso, Burundi, Cameroun, Central African republic, Comores, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Madagascar, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, Sénégal, Seychelles, Chad, Togo, Tunisia etc.

    This major film event, which promotes and celebrates the talents of the African continent and the African diaspora, is expanding its range of films in competition on the occasion of its 7th edition. AFRIFF will present a programme featuring more films from French-speaking Africa as well as French films. The festival wishes for its 7th edition to honor France and La Francophonie, in a long-term vision of artistic collaborations and partnerships

  • AFRIFF WOWS GUESTS AT AWARDS GALA

    AFTER a week of screening over 150 movies and documentaries, including workshops and industry sessions, the sixth African International Film Festival (AFRIFF) came to an end with a star-studded Globe Award which held at the Eko Convention Center, Eko Hotel and Suits, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Hosted by the talented Nollywood actress, Kemi Lala Akindoju and TV presenter, Uti Nwachukwu, the event, which was attended by top dignitaries from the business and political terrains also had filmmakers from Africa and beyond, whose films screened at the week-long event.

    Tagged The Broadway Show, the closing ceremony thrilled guests to breath-taking shows, including duets and a mind-blowing tribute to the late Afro-beat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, led by actor Gideon Okeke.

    It was also a moment of celebrations for winners, as the festival’s Closing Night Movie, ’76, a movie about events that heralded and succeeded the Military coup d’état which led to the demise of General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, and directed by Izu Ojukwu, won four awards including – Best Screenplay, Best Feature Film, Best Actor, Best Director.

    Renowned Nollywood actress, Bimbo Akintola, won Best Lead Actress for her role in the movie, 93 Days. ‘Green White Green’ by Abba Makama won the Oronto Douglas Award for Best Nigerian film, while Ghanaian filmmaker and animator, Agorkoli Francis Brown, won Best Animation with a price tag of N200,000.

    Other recipients include the beneficiaries of AFRIFF/Ford Foundation scholarship to the University of Montana, United States, for further training in different aspects of filmmaking.

    Speaking at the glamorous event, Founder and Executive Director of AFRIFF, Ms. Chioma Ude, noted that the crucial component of the festival is the training it provides to the young minds of Africa. “We’ve trained over 1,300 of those minds in our free workshops, as we continue to emphasize that AFRIFF should, and must educate as much as it entertains. AFRIFF has cultivated a space in which entertainment and education can cohesively co-exist and I’m proud to say that we have watched several members of the AFRIFF family go on to develop in the industry with the skills they have acquired from their training,” she said.

    According to Ude, AFRIFF, in its 6th year continues to be at the forefront in showcasing African cinema. “Over the past six years, we covered three cities and we have had over 20,000 visitors of which 30% have been foreign. Each year, our global invitation to the world fixates on exhibiting the large diversity of ethnicities, cultures and languages on our continent and combatting the absence of authentic African subjects in film.”

    She thanked the Ministry of Information and Culture as well as sponsors such as Access Bank and Air France for what she described as their incessant support.

    “With AFRIFF, we will continue to infiltrate the minds of both the young and the old, illustrating the significance of the film industry as a profession in Africa, and we will remind our global audience that WE ARE HERE and as long as we live we have a story to tell,” she concluded.

    For the Festival Coordinator Mrs. Afie Braimoh, who gave a summary of the entire festival activities at the closing event, AFRIFF decided to engage Secondary School pupils in Lagos to an IMAX education in line with the festival’s goal to build capacity. “We had over 250 kids who have not stopped expressing their gratitude to the wonderful unique experience. In Line with educating our young, 150 students were also trained by the best in the industry at the Afrinolly Studios. Tonight, some of those lucky students will be selected to attend a month of film making in the U.S.”

  • AFRIFF: Hausa filmmakers call for Nollywood collaboration

    AFRIFF: Hausa filmmakers call for Nollywood collaboration

    In a bid to explore the production methodologies, distribution systems and major factors that influence filmmaking in Northern Nigeria, AFRIFF 2016 included a session with Kannywood stakeholders to enlighten the public on the inner workings and challenges of the indigenous industry based in the North.

    The name Kannywood is a term derived from the fact that majority of the movies done in Northern Nigeria are produced in Kano State, while the Hausa being spoken is majorly that of the Kano people. The movies have elements of the Indian story-telling style and started with books and dramas.

    The AFRIFF session had popular Kannywood actors and filmmakers such as Ali Nuhu and Hajia Aisha Haliu as panelists. They spoke extensively about their industry, the challenges, possible ways of tackling the challenges and what roles Nollywood had to play in this transformation.

    The session was moderated by a leading Northern filmmaker, Mr.Sani Muazu.

    According to Ali Nuhu who explained how Kannywood works; “The infusion of dance and music into Kannywood movies is as a result of the Hausa people’s identification of them as part of ways of portraying culture and values and to appeal to this audience, it is important to do what they want. Every Northern filmmaker is cautious of what they put on screen or what they express due to religious and cultural beliefs of the people.”

    “We have an audience but the distribution aspect provides a limitation in terms of returns because if you release a movie in cinemas it might not do well in DVD sales and vice-versa because DVD distribution seems to be our strong point. The collaborative efforts of Kannywood and Nollywood have been quite encouraging so far but we still need more.” He said.

    Aisha Haliu discussed the importance of first identifying the target market before making movies in Kannywood because Nigerians have an affinity for home and tend to always come back home no matter where they go.

    “Due to budget constraints, Kannywood cannot make the sort of internationally accepted movies that would cut across because for now the market is still local. Even the marketers are beginning to dictate what should be shown and how it should be shown in order to achieve the most financial gains off of these movies. Piracy is a major limitation, though the message is getting out but we are not really getting the expected returns.”