24ème édition du FESPACO

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“African cinema, production and distribution in the digital age.”

This is the theme of the next Pan-African Festival of Cinema and Television of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) to be held from February 28th to March 7th, 2015 in the Burkinabe capital.

Out of nearly 700 applicant  films, 86 were selected and divided into 5 categories in competition: 20 Feature-length fiction, 22 Short fiction, 20 documentaries, television series 9 and 15 Films of African cinema schools. Hosted by Tella Kpomahou and Auguste Romain Bambana, this meeting with the media was followed by many amateurs and professionals of the 7th art which, no doubt, enjoyed the presence in the room of Jean-Claude Dioma (Minister of Culture and Tourism), Eric Tiare (Ambassador of Burkina Faso in France) and Ardiouma Soma (General Delegate of FESPACO).

During the exchanges, issues related to the Ebola virus, the risk of attacks or the budgets allocated to culture in African countries were discussed without taboo. It is the same for the one on the place of women in the films in competition this year. In this regard, we noted with pleasure that the jury of the Short film category will be chaired by the actress Firmine Richard. Furthermore, we learned that in 2016, a 4th edition of the African woman Film Festival would be held in Burkina Faso.

A touch of emotion at the end of the press conference: Alimata Salembere, the festival’s co-founder (which was called the African Film Week when it was created in 1969), distinguished herself  by a sober speech, with words fair and wise.

Par Jean Marie Halper