AfroBerlin Puts Africa In The Spotlight At Berlin, Discusses Role Of Festivals, Streamers & Industry In Supporting Filmmakers From The Continent
18.02.2024 - 16:07
/ deadline.com
The first-ever edition of AfroBerlin put Africa in the spotlight at the Berlin Film Festival and in one key session asked how festivals, streamers, and the wider industry can — and should — support films and filmmakers from the continent.
AfroBerlin took over the conference center next to the European Film Market with standing room only for some sessions at the event, which was organized by Prudence Kolong’s consultancy biz Yanibes and the EFM.
Jacqueline Nsiah, a member of the Festival’s Selection Committee, spoke in a slot about empowering local filmmakers. She started her work for the Festival last summer and has bolstered its connections with the African film community. African films including Abderrahmane Sissako’s Black Tea, Mati Diop’s Dahomey, and Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Aria’s Pepe are in competition, and Mamadou Dia’s Demba is in the Encounters strand. “I think it’s not bad, but I think there’s always room for more to be honest,” she said about the level of African representation.
Festivals must forge deep local connections in Africa, according to outgoing Berlinale co-director Mariëtte Rissenbeek. “If you don’t have these connections and these networks, you just don’t see some of the films,” she said. “We get about 2,800 submissions, but you still miss a lot of films. I think what a good step, now, to reach out more to the African continent.”
Stream Of Opportunity?
Streamers can bring projects to global attention, but whether producers in Africa can bank on them to do so was up for debate, notably in light of Amazon’s plans to scale back origination in the region, as first revealed by Deadline. “Streamers are always looking for the quick money – so it’s no wonder that sometimes they change their