Bushman's Secret will screen, followed by a panel discussion
Now in its third year, the Africa In Motion film festival runs at the Edinburgh Filmhouse from October 23 to November 2, before going on tour across the UK.
Featuring more than 40 films from 22 different countries, this year’s festival has strength in depth – from a tribute screening of Youssef Chahine’s El-Ard (The Yard) to the richest output from the continent’s up-and-coming filmmakers. The programme this year has been expanded to include that most provocative and cutting-edge class of film – shorts, with two showcases available, one for children and one for adults.
There will also be a short film competition this year. The films on the shortlist span fiction and documentary genres: a magic realist tale from Tunisia; a Moroccan story of childhood nostalgia; a single-setting short from Egypt; an edgy tale about two gangsters set in the high-octane Nigerian metropolis Lagos; a heart-warming love story from Mozambique; and three films from South Africa: a stylistically experimental documentary on anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko; an innovative stop motion animation short; and a fascinating documentary on two lovers and community activists in the Cape.
The winning film will be selected by a jury consisting of acclaimed Burkinabe filmmaker Gaston Kaboré; writer, presenter and filmmaker Zina Saro-Wiwa; Director of the Scottish Documentary Institute Noe Mendelle; and high-profile film critic, writer and producer Mark Cousins. The winning filmmaker will receive £1,000 prize money to assist them in their filmmaking career.
Mark Cousins said: "Short films are the spurts of life, the new shoots, of the film world. It is great that Africa in Motion is focusing on them. That's where the discovery and vitality is. The short film competition, and its considerable prize, is a brilliant way of putting the festival's money where its mouth is, and giving a fillip to the zingy and daring new African directors. I am delighted to be part of it."
The winner will be announced at a special awards ceremony after the screenings. There will also be an Audience Choice Award, voted for by the viewing public, to be announced at the end of the festival.
Although many African films make it in to arthouse cinemas eventually, they tend to fall into either documentary or straightforward drama categories, so it is particularly pleasing to see the festival extending its reach this year to include a series of After Hours late-night screenings featuring horror and experimental work.
Among the late night treats are Dust Devil – a South African/Namibian film about a young woman who finds herself in a dance of death with a soul-taker - and Highway To The Grave, a pre-Nollywood exploitation film which the programme says tells the story of “a sinner man, addicted to the flesh and the charms of big-legged women, is turned into a Tom Thumb by one of them who has wicked powers, and has to stare up her legs, longingly towards her pudenda, inside which he would get lost. “
Documentary highlights include Bushman’s Secret and Legends Of The Bushmen – exploring the plight of these hunter-gathers who face huge challenges as the modern world encroaches on their traditional lifestyle. The double-bill will be followed by a panel discussion, featuring the director of Legends Of The Bushman, Alan Barnard, and wildlife photographer and filmmaker Ginger Mauney.
There will be a series of special events running throughout the festival and Malian director Souleymane Cissé and Burkinabe director Gaston Kaboré will both present retrospectives of their work.
For more information about the festival, visit the very comprehensive official website, which also features a number of excellent articles to help contextualise the themes and strands in this year's fest.
Touring festival venues: Bristol Watershed, Cambridge Arts Picturehouse, Cardiff Chapter Cinema, Derby QUAD, Glasgow Film Theatre and Gilmorehill G12, Inverness Eden Court Cinema, Manchester Cornerhouse, Newcastle Star & Shadow, Sheffield Showroom, Stirling MacRoberts Arts Centre.
