Words Gina Knight
Africa’s female filmmakers are the focus of the second Film Africa festival, which takes place at venues across London from November 3-13.
The festival aims to highlight the importance of African women in film in response to the growing numbers of African and diaspora women directors, such as British-Nigerian filmmaker Zina Saro-Wiwa, whose short film Phyllis is one of the 50 films to be screened over the 10-day event, and veteran director Sarah Maldoror – both of whom are lined up to appear at the event.
Widely credited as being the first African woman to direct a feature film, Maldoror is screening her award-winning film Sambizanga, the story of one woman’s struggle during the Angolan liberation, regarded by some as a masterpiece of African cinema.
Women's role in the African film industry is more commonly aspromoters, distributors and financiers. But according to the co-director of Film Africa Lindiwe Dovey times are starting to change: "a new waveof African and diasporawomen filmmakers have – in just the past few years – started showing the world that it is not only African men who make amazing fiction, documentary, short, and experimental films".
"By highlighting the inspiring work of those women who have – often against great odds – written and directed their own films, Film Africa 2011 hopes to stimulate the interest of the major film festivals and mainstream distributors and encourage young African and diaspora women filmmakers to make their own films."
Other highlights of the 2011 Film Africa programme include 9 UK premieres and Q&As and panel discussions with leading African filmmakers, including Matthieu Bron.There are also live music concerts, featuring everyone from Cameroonian blues maestro Muntu Valdo to Senegalese kora king Kadialy Kouyate.
For more information and the full 2011 Film Africa programme visit www.filmafrica.org.uk.