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In Kigali, AFC dissects African cinema, national economies

By Shaibu Husseini
06 January 2016   |   1:26 am
AT the last African Cinema Business Symposium, which was held as part of Africa International Film festival in Lagos in November, the African Film Consortium (AFC) in the communiqué they issued after the well-attended symposium called on government across the continent to take more than a passive interest in the affairs of the movie industry in their respective countries.
At-the-AFC

A Cross section of participants at the AFC symposium

AT the last African Cinema Business Symposium, which was held as part of Africa International Film festival in Lagos in November, the African Film Consortium (AFC) in the communiqué they issued after the well-attended symposium called on government across the continent to take more than a passive interest in the affairs of the movie industry in their respective countries.

They called on the respective government to invest in the development of infrastructure that will promote and ensure the growth of their respective film industries. They also canvassed enactment and faithful implementation of film policies and laws including stiffer laws against piracy in countries with thriving film industries. The AFC noted in the communiqué that such an intervention would undoubtedly guarantee economic development not just for the filmmakers but also for the countries and the continent of Africa.

But that was at the Lagos symposium. Building on the urgent need to strengthen the African creative sectors and Pan-African Film Consortium’s unique mandate on culture promotion through film education, exhibition, information and communication for individuals in the film industry globally, with special focus on Africans, the AFC has concluded plans to hold a follow up world conference in Rwanda in March 2016. The AFC is working in partnership with the Rwanda Film Federation to host the world conference on African Cinema in Kigali on the 12 and 13 of March 2016.

The world conference will be AFC’s second major event but the first world conference on African Cinema. President of the AFC Mykel Parish Ajaere disclosed that the main objective of the conference which is planned as an annual event is to promote film ventures and ideas by Africans while encouraging government and private sectors to take concrete measures towards empowering professionals in the film industry through training, funding and mentorship programmes.

Filmmaker-Musa

Chairperson, Advisory Board of AFC, Soheir Kadeir, and filmmaker Musa Waa at the AFC Lagos Symposium in November

The theme of the conference is ‘African Cinema and National Economies: Frameworks for Growth and Development’ and Ajaere, who has been in the film business for 18 years, stated that the Kigali conference would be in three sessions of panel discussions and the sharing of success stories on the use of film to support employment and advocacy of Africa’s development.

He disclosed that film experts, filmmakers, journalists, critics, government representatives, policy makers, distributors and representatives of film festivals from across the continent and Diaspora have been invited to the two days conference which will take place at the prestigious Serena Hotel in Kigali. ‘’It will be committed to the development and implementation of an Action Plan that will guide stakeholders and policy makers for the realization of a Pan-African film industry that is sustainable’’ he said.

AFC’s mission is shaped by knowledge of the art of Cinema for Africa. The body aims not only to support works of acclaimed practitioners, but also to propagate values of creativity and innovation through new ideas, originality in filmmaking and lifelong learning of the art of Cinema. According to the Chair of the Advisory Board Soheir Kader, ‘’the AFC is established in response to the need to promote ventures by Africans in the Film Industry; and support stakeholders/organizations that make the films. The motivation was spawned by the lack of resource structure that should help the African filmmaker from Africa’s perspective. It is a convergence of education, skills and arenas to expose the talented, budding and seasoned Africans in the business of film”.

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