Film maker by destiny
23 March 2014 10:14 PM GMT
Does African Cinema have the versatility to cater to the world audience?
Yes it does. That has been proven many times. Especially with films from Francophone Africa and South Africa. Gavin Hood did with Tostsi which won an Oscar. Djo Munga has also done it with Viva Riva. My film Ties that Bind was also well received internationally. These are films that have their own identity. People want to know about Africa, and these films serve them an Africa from the view point of an African. Above all, the films were made the right way, with the standards of filmmaking. Business wise, because the international audience is not large, the films may not have made good money but, they made more money than an average African home video but, certainly made less money than an average Hollywood film.
Where does the African Cinema find its influence from? Does it look westward for inspiration/appreciation?
African cinema is different depending on each country. There are some that derive their inspiration from the west. Like Nollywood and Ghana film industry. They look towards and copy the romance style films. Especially from Black Hollywood. But indeed, like every other industry, we all look to the west for appreciation. Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Kenya, South Africa of course are countries that have vibrant film industries. I actually think there are too many awards in Africa. Ninety-eight per cent of them are nothing to aspire to win. Because if I see a film that wins Best Picture at some of these awards, I want o also see that film go outside of Africa and do something there. In the past few years, the AMA Awards has made some brilliant decisions when it comes to Best Picture. There are still a few kinks, same kinks that exist with most of the awards. The people who are making the decisions. Most of them know next to nothing about filmmaking. That you watch a lot of films doesn't make you a master of it.
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Give us your take on African Cinema's future; it’s strengths and gaps?
The word African cinema is a rather blanket term. So if I’m to give a general answer, the future is bright for African cinema. What it needs is to create its own viable market because marketing for African films within Africa is tough.  The technology is there, with the world now a global village. They have access to the equipment. Now the people handling the equipment, is another story. That is where training comes in. We need film schools, workshops; the various nations that house film industries need to create enabling environments to support filmmaking and attract outside filmmaking and filmmakers. When that happens, African films can compete on a world stage.  But even before the respective governments can create the right atmosphere, African filmmakers need to unite and find ways in which they can impact their countries.
Trending now in Africa
FESPACO, the Pan-African week long film festival, recently concluded on 3 March 2014. Held in Ouagadougou the capital of Burkina Faso in West Africa. It is regarded as Africa’s Oscars. FESPACO since 1969 has evolved into an internationally recognised event. It’s mission has been to ‘contribute to the expansion and development of African cinema as means of expression, education and awareness-raising.’
Equally magnificent is the trophy ‘Stallion of Yennenga’ which, like all things African, is pickled in history. ‘Stallion of Yennenga’, symbol of supreme consecration of the best cinematographic work; is symbolised by a warrior with a lance in his hand, sitting on a rearing horse. This trophy derives its myth from the founder of the Mosse Empire, the ethnic majority of Burkina Faso. The award is worth £10,000 and it goes to the African film that best shows ‘Africa’s realities’.
FESPACO spot lights African filmmakers. R.A. profiles five African’s who are radical, fearless and experimental. Hailing from the heartlands of Kenya, Chad, Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana, they are determined to demonstrate cinematic stature.
Leila Jewel Djansi
An inherent story teller, Leila Jewel Djansi, at 32, is a new gen Ghanaian filmmaker. She describes herself as ‘a carefree, free-spirited, and ambition-driven person’ who, like the ancient Greek god Zeus, enjoys ‘creating characters and throwing them into tough circumstances and watching them battle their way out.’ Leila’s 2011 film, Sinking Sands received 10 African Movie Academy Award nominations, with Leila earning the Best Original Screenplay Award; 14 nominations at Ghana Movie Awards, with Leila picking ‘Best Art Direction’, ‘Best Costume’, ‘Best West African Film’ and ‘Best Picture’. In 2011, she was also presented with the BAFTA/LA Pan African Film Festival Choice Award for the film, I Sing of a Well. Email ID: jewelaseye@hotmail.com
No cliches, No rural Africa: Hubert Laba Ndao
With a mission of lending a modern (read, urban) lens to the African cinema, Hubert’s work is by all means, contemporary. After studying law at the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, director Hubert Laba Ndao began a film career in 2000, with two short films Misfortunes and The Way Of Shadows. His telefilm Teuss Teuss made in 2007, has received several awards and was also in competition at FESPACO 2007. In 2013, he directed his second feature film Dakar Sidewalks which is garnering rave reviews. Thirty three year old Sengalese director, Ndao was born in Dakar and brought up in the congested part of town skirting on the marginalised world, living to the beat of petty trafficking, without actually slipping into violence. This is what he brings to fore in his latest film on the dark life of urban youth, who only know the street. No wonder then, it has been a rage.
Email ID: mediatik94@hotmail.com
The edgy social crusader: Newton Aduaka
Newton was born in 1966, in Ogidi, Eastern Nigeria, with an uncompromising streak to himself. Identifying his rare calling in London, where he went to study Engineering, Newton diversified into learning filmmaking from International Film School. Apart from his achievements in making award winning films, he is a recognised critic of African Cinema and will chair the jury in the Nigerian ZUMA festival, this May. As a director, his short films include Carnival of Silence (1994), Voices Behind the Wall (1990) and On The Edge (1997), which won him three prestigious awards and numerous recognitions. In 1997, he set up Granite FilmWorks with Maria Elena L’Abbate to produce personal, cutting-edge and uncompromising films. His debut feature Rage (2000) was released to huge critical acclaim, winning many prizes including Best Director at the Pan African Film Festival, in LA. His most popular work Ezra, took the Yennenga Stallion, the top prize at the 2007 Festival of FESPACO; while his feature film, One Man’s Show premiered at FESPACO 2013, winning the Critics’ Prize. Newton uses filmmaking as a tool to bring about social revolution, and this ideology is reflected in all his works.
Africa’s first Sci-Fi Filmmaker: Wanuri Kahiu
‘Wow! People make films!’, a 16-year-old Wanuri Kahiu exclaimed when she first entered Ace Communications, in Kenya. And, so she determined to be a filmmaker. Now 33, she is a ‘power-freak’ by her own admission, and a passionate story-teller who believes, we wear our stories.
The egalitarian Wanuri was born in Nairobi. After completing her bachelors, in Management Science from University of Warwick in 2001, she did her Masters in Fine Arts at  University of California, Los Angeles. Her movie From a Whisper received 14 awards at seven international film festivals in 2009, including Best Picture and Best Director from the Africa Movie Academy Awards and Best Picture at the Pan-African Film Festival in LA. In 2010, Wanuri co-founded Awali Entertainment Ltd., with an intension of making films that portray Kenyans and all Africans as dynamic and interesting people – all with a story to tell. Her critically acclaimed ‘Pumzi’, hailed as Kenya’s first science-fiction film, made it’s presence felt at numerous international film festivals, too. It debuted in January 2010 at Sundance, and garnered Best Short film at the Cannes Independent Film Festival, the Special Jury Prize at the Zanzibar International Film Festival, and the Silver Prize for Best Short at the Carthage Film Festival in Tunisia. Email ID: wanuri@gmail.com
Spokesman of African Cinema: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Set out to erase the colonisation of Africa by images, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun left Chad at its turmoil. He finds comedy a luxury for African cinema. For in Africa, things are too serious. 53-year old thinking director uses celluloid to bring Africa to the world. Born in Abeche, Chad and living in France since ‘82, Mahamat also dismisses the melodrama of Bollywood as much as he dislikes the aping of Hollywood, by Nollywood. His first feature film, Bye Bye Africa, of 1999, is a leaf out of his life depicting the reality of the struggles of African cinema. His 2nd, Abouna, won best cinematography award at FESPACO, while his 3rd, Daratt, won the Grand Special Jury Prize at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival. In 2010, his A Screaming Man won the Jury Prize at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, making Mahamat the first Chadian director to enter, as well as win, an award in the main Cannes competition. Grigris, his 2013 film was nominated for the Palme d’Or, at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Mahamat is on the jury of the Cinéfondation and short film sections of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Having made his imprint world over, he has carved a niche for Chad in Cinema, and claims that Pan-Africanism is dead and each country in Africa must have its own Cinema. Email ID: fstern@pilifilms.fr
Conceived by Kalyan Mukherjee, Consulting Editor, Africa Rising
Research & Advertising by Aman Ramrakha
Yes it does. That has been proven many times. Especially with films from Francophone Africa and South Africa. Gavin Hood did with Tostsi which won an Oscar. Djo Munga has also done it with Viva Riva. My film Ties that Bind was also well received internationally. These are films that have their own identity. People want to know about Africa, and these films serve them an Africa from the view point of an African. Above all, the films were made the right way, with the standards of filmmaking. Business wise, because the international audience is not large, the films may not have made good money but, they made more money than an average African home video but, certainly made less money than an average Hollywood film.
Where does the African Cinema find its influence from? Does it look westward for inspiration/appreciation?
African cinema is different depending on each country. There are some that derive their inspiration from the west. Like Nollywood and Ghana film industry. They look towards and copy the romance style films. Especially from Black Hollywood. But indeed, like every other industry, we all look to the west for appreciation. Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Kenya, South Africa of course are countries that have vibrant film industries. I actually think there are too many awards in Africa. Ninety-eight per cent of them are nothing to aspire to win. Because if I see a film that wins Best Picture at some of these awards, I want o also see that film go outside of Africa and do something there. In the past few years, the AMA Awards has made some brilliant decisions when it comes to Best Picture. There are still a few kinks, same kinks that exist with most of the awards. The people who are making the decisions. Most of them know next to nothing about filmmaking. That you watch a lot of films doesn't make you a master of it.
Â
Give us your take on African Cinema's future; it’s strengths and gaps?
The word African cinema is a rather blanket term. So if I’m to give a general answer, the future is bright for African cinema. What it needs is to create its own viable market because marketing for African films within Africa is tough.  The technology is there, with the world now a global village. They have access to the equipment. Now the people handling the equipment, is another story. That is where training comes in. We need film schools, workshops; the various nations that house film industries need to create enabling environments to support filmmaking and attract outside filmmaking and filmmakers. When that happens, African films can compete on a world stage.  But even before the respective governments can create the right atmosphere, African filmmakers need to unite and find ways in which they can impact their countries.
Trending now in Africa
FESPACO, the Pan-African week long film festival, recently concluded on 3 March 2014. Held in Ouagadougou the capital of Burkina Faso in West Africa. It is regarded as Africa’s Oscars. FESPACO since 1969 has evolved into an internationally recognised event. It’s mission has been to ‘contribute to the expansion and development of African cinema as means of expression, education and awareness-raising.’
Equally magnificent is the trophy ‘Stallion of Yennenga’ which, like all things African, is pickled in history. ‘Stallion of Yennenga’, symbol of supreme consecration of the best cinematographic work; is symbolised by a warrior with a lance in his hand, sitting on a rearing horse. This trophy derives its myth from the founder of the Mosse Empire, the ethnic majority of Burkina Faso. The award is worth £10,000 and it goes to the African film that best shows ‘Africa’s realities’.
FESPACO spot lights African filmmakers. R.A. profiles five African’s who are radical, fearless and experimental. Hailing from the heartlands of Kenya, Chad, Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana, they are determined to demonstrate cinematic stature.
Leila Jewel Djansi
An inherent story teller, Leila Jewel Djansi, at 32, is a new gen Ghanaian filmmaker. She describes herself as ‘a carefree, free-spirited, and ambition-driven person’ who, like the ancient Greek god Zeus, enjoys ‘creating characters and throwing them into tough circumstances and watching them battle their way out.’ Leila’s 2011 film, Sinking Sands received 10 African Movie Academy Award nominations, with Leila earning the Best Original Screenplay Award; 14 nominations at Ghana Movie Awards, with Leila picking ‘Best Art Direction’, ‘Best Costume’, ‘Best West African Film’ and ‘Best Picture’. In 2011, she was also presented with the BAFTA/LA Pan African Film Festival Choice Award for the film, I Sing of a Well. Email ID: jewelaseye@hotmail.com
No cliches, No rural Africa: Hubert Laba Ndao
With a mission of lending a modern (read, urban) lens to the African cinema, Hubert’s work is by all means, contemporary. After studying law at the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, director Hubert Laba Ndao began a film career in 2000, with two short films Misfortunes and The Way Of Shadows. His telefilm Teuss Teuss made in 2007, has received several awards and was also in competition at FESPACO 2007. In 2013, he directed his second feature film Dakar Sidewalks which is garnering rave reviews. Thirty three year old Sengalese director, Ndao was born in Dakar and brought up in the congested part of town skirting on the marginalised world, living to the beat of petty trafficking, without actually slipping into violence. This is what he brings to fore in his latest film on the dark life of urban youth, who only know the street. No wonder then, it has been a rage.
Email ID: mediatik94@hotmail.com
The edgy social crusader: Newton Aduaka
Newton was born in 1966, in Ogidi, Eastern Nigeria, with an uncompromising streak to himself. Identifying his rare calling in London, where he went to study Engineering, Newton diversified into learning filmmaking from International Film School. Apart from his achievements in making award winning films, he is a recognised critic of African Cinema and will chair the jury in the Nigerian ZUMA festival, this May. As a director, his short films include Carnival of Silence (1994), Voices Behind the Wall (1990) and On The Edge (1997), which won him three prestigious awards and numerous recognitions. In 1997, he set up Granite FilmWorks with Maria Elena L’Abbate to produce personal, cutting-edge and uncompromising films. His debut feature Rage (2000) was released to huge critical acclaim, winning many prizes including Best Director at the Pan African Film Festival, in LA. His most popular work Ezra, took the Yennenga Stallion, the top prize at the 2007 Festival of FESPACO; while his feature film, One Man’s Show premiered at FESPACO 2013, winning the Critics’ Prize. Newton uses filmmaking as a tool to bring about social revolution, and this ideology is reflected in all his works.
Africa’s first Sci-Fi Filmmaker: Wanuri Kahiu
‘Wow! People make films!’, a 16-year-old Wanuri Kahiu exclaimed when she first entered Ace Communications, in Kenya. And, so she determined to be a filmmaker. Now 33, she is a ‘power-freak’ by her own admission, and a passionate story-teller who believes, we wear our stories.
The egalitarian Wanuri was born in Nairobi. After completing her bachelors, in Management Science from University of Warwick in 2001, she did her Masters in Fine Arts at  University of California, Los Angeles. Her movie From a Whisper received 14 awards at seven international film festivals in 2009, including Best Picture and Best Director from the Africa Movie Academy Awards and Best Picture at the Pan-African Film Festival in LA. In 2010, Wanuri co-founded Awali Entertainment Ltd., with an intension of making films that portray Kenyans and all Africans as dynamic and interesting people – all with a story to tell. Her critically acclaimed ‘Pumzi’, hailed as Kenya’s first science-fiction film, made it’s presence felt at numerous international film festivals, too. It debuted in January 2010 at Sundance, and garnered Best Short film at the Cannes Independent Film Festival, the Special Jury Prize at the Zanzibar International Film Festival, and the Silver Prize for Best Short at the Carthage Film Festival in Tunisia. Email ID: wanuri@gmail.com
Spokesman of African Cinema: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Set out to erase the colonisation of Africa by images, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun left Chad at its turmoil. He finds comedy a luxury for African cinema. For in Africa, things are too serious. 53-year old thinking director uses celluloid to bring Africa to the world. Born in Abeche, Chad and living in France since ‘82, Mahamat also dismisses the melodrama of Bollywood as much as he dislikes the aping of Hollywood, by Nollywood. His first feature film, Bye Bye Africa, of 1999, is a leaf out of his life depicting the reality of the struggles of African cinema. His 2nd, Abouna, won best cinematography award at FESPACO, while his 3rd, Daratt, won the Grand Special Jury Prize at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival. In 2010, his A Screaming Man won the Jury Prize at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, making Mahamat the first Chadian director to enter, as well as win, an award in the main Cannes competition. Grigris, his 2013 film was nominated for the Palme d’Or, at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Mahamat is on the jury of the Cinéfondation and short film sections of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Having made his imprint world over, he has carved a niche for Chad in Cinema, and claims that Pan-Africanism is dead and each country in Africa must have its own Cinema. Email ID: fstern@pilifilms.fr
Conceived by Kalyan Mukherjee, Consulting Editor, Africa Rising
Research & Advertising by Aman Ramrakha
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