Supporting a Dynamic African Film Industry for African Audiences and Beyond

February 28th, 2005

During the course of many conversations and exchanges with filmmakers and producers across the African continent in recent years, we have been struck by the frequently articulated need for training and education opportunities in filmmaking at all levels, up-to-date equipment, financing that is controlled and administered by African producers, and effective distribution of African films both within Africa and for the global market.

After consultation with like-minded colleagues in New York and with a small group of African filmmakers and producers about our collective resources and what we could potentially offer to address these needs, we thought it appropriate to convene a meeting at the 2005 FESPACO to explore some ideas and initiatives among similarly engaged and interested parties.

On February 28th 2005, Louverture Films, Mahen Bonetti of the New York African Film Festival and Jason Kliot of HDNet Films, jointly hosted a meeting in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to discuss the following topics:

Education: films schools, apprenticeship programmes, training labs, and sources of material support for such efforts;

Production: appropriate production and post-production equipment, and alternatives to current models of financing;

Distribution: alternative strategies for reaching African audiences and beyond;

Strategies for enhancing existing partnerships and for strengthening South-South cooperation efforts as well as cooperation with trusted partners in the North, including through training, development, co-production and distribution.


Participants in the meeting included:

Moderator: Abderrahmane Sissako (Mali)

Isabelle Boni-Claverie (Cote d'Ivoire)
Zézé Gamboa (Angola)
Flora Gomes (Guinea Bissau)
Haroun Mahamat-Saleh (Chad)
Eric Kabera (Rwanda)
Tunde Kelani (Nigeria)
Idrissou Mora Kpai (Benin)
Letebele Masemola-Jones (South Africa)
Branwen Okpako (Nigeria)
Idrissa Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso)
Bongiwe Selane (South Africa)


Observers:

Maji-da Abdi (Ethiopia)
Yona Backer (USA)
Joslyn Barnes (USA)
Karen Bolt (USA)
Mahen Bonetti (Sierra Leone/USA)
JaBen Early (USA)
Danny Glover (USA)
Jason Kliot (USA)
Ben Zulu (Zimbabwe)


Assistants:

Apolline Traoré (Burkina Faso)
Sophie Saint-Just (France)

The group agreed on next steps, and plans are currently underway for the development of a website, subscriber's listserv, and a follow-up meeting in the near future.

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