Six Africans, including Nigerian filmmaker CJ Obasi (best known for Ojuju and ‘O’Town), have been selected for this year’s Realness African Screenwriters Residency. The eight-week program will see them in South Africa and Switzerland for mentorship and support to nurture and grow their developing feature film projects. CJ Obasi received the residency invitation with Nri. The other African talents invited for this edition which takes place from August 3 to September 24, 2022 are Ahmad Mahmoud with Specters of Alhoot (Sudan), Jabu Nadia Newman with For Our Mother (South Africa), Lara Sousa with Nzuzu (Mozambique), Sandulela Asanda with Umthwalo (South Africa) and Youssef Michraf with Sweet Disposition (Morocco). The residency is an incubator for African screenwriters that provides personalized support to enable writers to find the heart of their stories and flesh them out into screenplays, and pitch their projects to industry partners for funding and production . For 2022, Realness has partnered with the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. This partnership means that the filmmakers will participate in the creative incubation program, Basecamp, from August 3 to 13, 2022. In addition, Kantarama Gahigiri, an alumnus of the screenwriters’ residence of the 2018 cohort, will participate in the Locarno Filmmakers Academy, as the last year Realness Residency did not take place due to the pandemic. The writers will then take up residence at Nirox and Farmhouse 58 for six weeks.
There, story consultants, Ayanda Halimana and Mmabatho Kau, and creative producer, Cait Pansegrouw, will mentor them. “Our program provides the physical space (and time without pressure) for African filmmakers to really dig deep into their craft to develop their story ideas. By working together while focusing on their own stories, the filmmakers are able to nurture and support each other, giving authentic African voices to these ideas,” says Cait Pansegrouw, co-founder and director of artistic operations at the Realness Institute. . At the end of the residency, promising projects will be awarded participation in the prestigious Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde in Cannes, receive a partial grant from the EAVE producers’ workshop, an invitation to the TorinoFilmLab Meetings event and the Locarno Filmmakers Academy. Follow Realness news on Twitter @rlnsinstitute.
The Berlinale shorts at the Xining International Film Festival, China
THE Berlinale Spotlight, an extension of the main festival period, which makes Berlinale activities visible throughout the year, will present a program of short films for the first time at the First International Film Festival in China (July 27 to August 4, 2022) titled Berlinale Spotlight: Berlinale Shorts. Founded in 2006 and held annually in Xining, Qinghai Province, this film festival focuses on discovering and promoting emerging talent in China. It is an internationally respected platform for emerging filmmakers and promotes exchange between cinematic art and the film industry. Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck, director of Berlinale Shorts, is delighted: “I am delighted with our new collaboration with the First International Film Festival. The festival promotes very interesting Chinese cinematic voices, such as Zhang Dalei, who won the Silver Bear – Jury Prize (Short Film) at the 2021 Berlinale with his film Day Is Done. A total of 10 short films that have premiered at the Berlinale over the past three years will be screened in two programs. Films scheduled for the first program include Histoire pour 2 Trompettes (A Story for 2 Trumpets) by Amandine Meyer, France, and Xia Wu Guo Qu Le Yi Ban (Day Is Done) by Zhang Dalei, People’s Republic of China, while films in program two include Ventana (Window) by Edgar Jorge Baralt, USA, Zonder Meer by Meltse Van Coillie, Belgium, and One Hundred Steps by Bárbara Wagner, Benjamin de Burca, Germany/France.
NFC ready to partner with LAFAAAC for capacity building
THE Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) says it is ready to partner with the Franco-Anglophone Academy of Arts and Culture (LAFAAAC) to provide training opportunities for Nigerian creatives, through its training arm, l ‘National Film Institute (NFI), Jos, Plateau State. This was revealed by Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, Director General of the NFC during a meeting between the heads of the two institutions. The DM commended the efforts of the French government and its agencies for developing an exceptional interest and commitment to supporting Nigerian institutions of creation, entertainment and learning. Maduekwe said LAFAAAC’s invitation to the NFC to explore wider training opportunities for Nigerians was appropriate, desirable and achievable. “The NFC, through its training arm – the NFI has undergone a major transformation to be able to support and undertake LAFAAAC training initiatives and modules,” the MD said, adding that part of the transformation includes expanding of its academic program, and the master’s program in Film Culture and Archival Studies in collaboration with other Nigerian and German academic institutions. Earlier, Mr. Pascal Olivier said that LAFAAAC started its training programs in 2019, offering innovative and mobile application training courses for aspiring and creative professionals, with a focus on empowerment, l entrepreneurship and relies on its blended learning approach to address the challenges of access to quality. education for Africans.