From Ouagadougou to Antananarivo a vibrant festival scene has developed in recent years. Burkinan FESPACO or Tunisian JCC have already established themselves as fixed meeting points for the global film scene. Newer film festivals, such as Madagascan short film festival RENCONTRES DU FILM COURT or the COMOROS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (CIFF) are moving in the same direction.

Festivals have established themselves as display windows for current African cinema and as stepping stones for young African film makers. At the same time more and more film schools are established, aimed at offering young, African film makers the possibility of developing and implementing their own visions for African cinema. In this context strategic partnerships between film festivals and film schools gain growing importance.

Therefore toucouleur e.V. has initiated a project spanning three years: RE_IMAGING AFRICA: Issues, Perspectives and Utopias of Contemporary African Cinemas

The film-, lecture- and seminar-events taking place in the period from November 2013 to March 2015 will focus on the facilitation of exchange relations between selected film festivals and film schools in Germany and in the African countries. A central building block in the project is the exchange program “Moving Images, Moving Experiences” between African film schools and German film academies, commencing in 2014. Venues for RE_IMAGING AFRICA will be Berlin and Kassel (Dokfilmfest) as well as the partner festivals in Africa.

After the intial phase last year AFRIKAMERA, in cooperation with Stiftung Partnerschaft mit Afrika e.V., will also in 2014 present a selection of new movies from the African countries and the African diaspora.

The festival opens with TIMBUKTU (Mauretania/France, 11.11 and 14.11.) the latest film by Abderrahmane Sissako, which among others was lauded at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. In breathtaking pictures and filled with poetry the film shows the tragedy of the Malian cultural centre in the stranglehold of the Islamic fundamentalism, without the use of cliches.

In MALAK (Morocco 2012, 12.11), by Abdeslam Kelai, an underage pupil from a good family discovers that she’s pregnant. When her boyfriend cuts her off, she escapes to Tanger and begins to work as a prostitute in order to provide for her child and her self. An impressive filmic document on exclusion and marginalisation in today’s Morocco.

With MILLE SOLEILS (Senegal/France 2013, 12.11.), the young director Mati Diop updates the storyline of the Sengalese nouvelle vague classic Touki Bouki from 1972 to the present day. What has become of Mory and Anta, the heros back then? Pre-reel: COGITATIONS, Burkina Faso/Belgium 2012.

Thursday night is dedicated current cinema from Nigeria. In THE MISFIT (Nigeria 2013, 13.11), by Daniel Emeke Oriahi, a young woman gets into a bus after an excessive night of partying, in order to escape the evangelical street preacher  and the curious glances from the passersby. She falls asleep and wakes up later in a strange room, not knowing why, or by whom, she was kidnapped. Germany premiere. Guest: Didi Cheeka (director, Nigeria)

With HALF OF A YELLOW SUN (Nigeria/GB 2010, 13.11), and adaptation of Chimanda Ngozi Adichie’s bestseller, AFRIKAMERA provides the Germany premiere of the feature film debut from Nigerian theatre maker Biyi Bandele. It tells the story of the consequences of the Biafra war in the everyday life of twin sisters Olanna and Kaiene in the late 60s – with a Hollywood star cast (among others Chiwetel Ejiofor/12 Years A Slave). In cooperation with AfricAvenir.

In a special screening AFRIKAMERA, in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Stiftung, presents the compilation AFRICAN METROPOLIS (14.11). The six shorts from Abidjan, Cairo, Dakar, Johannesburg, Lagos, and Nairobi tell the stories of life in the African metropoles. South African director Vincen Moloi will attend the premiere. The short film project was initiated by Goethe-Institut South Africa and producer Steven Markovitz.

Under the label African Shorts AFRIKAMERA  has during the last years screened short films from Rwanda, Mozambique, and Madagascar. This year the artistical director of the Colours of the Nile International Film Festival (CONIFF), Hailé Biru Abraham, will, for the first time in Germany, present ETHIOCINEMA (14.11), a selection of current short films from Ethiopia – such as ADAMT, the newest work from the Ethiopian shooting star Zelalem Woldemariam.

Saturday too takes off with an Ethiopian production. DIFRET (Ethiopia 2013, 15.11), tells the story of 14 year old Hirut Assefa, who on her way from school is kidnapped and raped. The girl shoots her tormenter and ends up on death row. Lawyer Meaza Ashenafi takes the case and fights for Hirut’s rights. Zeresenay Berhane Mehari’s sociocritical drama won several audience prizes, among others at the Sundance Festival and the Berlinale Panorama 2014.

At the centre of THIS IS MY AFRICA (15.11), a program consisting of four short movies by young directors from Africa and the African diaspora, are characters and stories that create new worlds, interpret the existing, or develop utopias. In TWAAGA (Burkina Faso/France 2013) Cédric Ido tells the story of little Manu, who in revolutionairy Burkina Faso in 1985 tries to transfer his passion for comic book super heroes into the every day life. In attendance of the director.

In EXAMEN D’ETAT (Democratic Republic of the Congo/France 2014, 15.11) Dieudo Hamadi follows a group of Congolese youth in Kisangi through their state examination. The camera witnesses the preparations, and is also there when the youngsters, because of unpaid „study fees“, again sit in the street. Berlin premiere, attended by the director.

Some years ago in Tunis the appearance of a razor blade-man on a motorbike spread terror as he slit open the buttocks of women when driving by. Is „Le Challat“ a lonely criminal, an urban myth, or the produce of political or fanatical groups? In her mockumentary, LE CHALLAT DE TUNIS (Tunisia/France 2014, 16.11), Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania goes searching for the truth. Berlin premiere.

GRISGRIS (Chad/France 2013, 16.11) tells the story of a young photographer, who nights, despite a paralyzed leg, works as a host at the clubs of N’Djamena. As he meets the young, melancholic prostitute, Mimi, his life changes dramatically. The film by Mahamat Saleh Haroun paints a portrait of an Africa, marred by poverty and inequality, but also filled with hope, energy and solidarity. GRISGRIS was in comptetition at the 2014 film festival in Cannes.

The festival closes with DAKAR TROTTOIRS (Senegal 2013, 16.11) by Hubert Laba Ndao. The love between the two youngsters, Siirou and Salla, is scarred by their childhood on the streets. Their dreams and longings are for them the only way to handle the rough reality they are exposed to on the „Trottoir“ of Dakar.

Find the full program me here and as pdf.

A novelty is the FESTIVAL LOUNGE of RE_IMAGING AFRIKA. From the 12.11 – 16.11 it will be situated at Galerie Listros in Kurfürstenstraße 33 in Berlin-Tiergarten, and will be open daily from 5pm, offering a diverse program of short film screenings and workshops.

AFRIKAMERA will furthermore transgress the borders of the German capital and this year simultaneously take place in Berlin and within the framework of the KASSELER DOKUMENTARFILM- UND VIDEOFEST.

In cooperation with the Kasseler Dokfest AFRIKAMERA from the 11. – 16.11 presents two programs with current short- and animation films from Africa and the African diaspora.

Around the festival in Kassel young animation film makers from the millieu created by Madagascan short film festival „Rencontres du Film Court“ will meet students from the animation film class at the Kunsthochschule Kassel, in order to develop new common projects during a 48 hour jam. More information about the program in Kassel can be found at: www.kasselerdokfest.de

RE_IMAGING AFRICA 2014
11. – 16. November 2014
Kino Arsenal
Potsdamer Str. 2
10785 Berlin

www.afrikamera.de