Go To These African Film Festivals!
If I could attend all the film festivals in existence, believe me I would. African film festivals held in Africa is what this list is about. Granted there’s a lot of events around the world dedicated to African cinema, but these are the ones you have to get your traveling arrangements set in order to go.So next time you happen to be going on a safari or just visiting an African country, attend their local film events. There’s no better way to immerse yourself in various cultures than watching their movies or perhaps eating their delectable foods.If you have attended any of these film festivals, please share your awesome experiences!!
Here are the film festivals that occur exclusively in African countries:
Carthage Film Festival
Year Started:1966
Country:Tunisia
City:Carthage
Type:Regional
Details: A biannual October film festival hosted by the Tunisian Government.
Created in 1966 by the Tunisian Minister of Culture to showcase films from the Maghreb, Africa, and the Middle East.
The grand prize given is the Tanit d’or, or “Golden Tanit,” named for the lunar goddess of ancient Carthage; the award’s shape is a trapezium topped with a horizontal line and a circle.
Rules: In order to be eligible for competition, a film must have a director of African or Middle Eastern nationality, and have been produced at least two years before entry.Go to website for more info.
PanAfrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou
Year Started:1969
Country:Burkina Faso
City:Ouagadougou
Type:International
Details:The biggest film festival in Africa. It occurs biennially in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where the organization is based.
Rules: Only accepts for competition films by African filmmakers and mainly produced in Africa. FESPACO is scheduled in March of each year, two weeks after the last Saturday of February.The festival is adament in promoting African culture and cinema in other international film festivals.
Cairo International Film Festival
Year Started:1976
Country:Egypt
City:Cairo
Type:International
Details:The first film festival in the Middle East.It has taken place every year since its inception, except for 2011 and 2013, when it was cancelled due to budget limitations and political instability. The 36th edition is scheduled to take place in November 2014. It’s also the only international competitive feature film festival recognized by the FIAPF in the Arab world and Africa, as well as the oldest in this category.
Rules:Check out their webpage.
International Arab Film Festival
Year Started:1976
Country:Algeria
City: Oran
Type:International
Details:Oran, El Bahia, a city full of history and culture which hosts the festival. Find more info on the website
Durban International Film Festival
Year Started:1979
Country:South Africa
City:Durban
Type:International
Details:Oldest and largest film festival in Southern Africa (showcases over 200 screens). Most of the screenings are African premieres. A co-production forum Durban FilmMart was added in 2010, and Talent Campus Durban was added in 2008.The festival also provides filmmaker workshops, industry seminars, discussion forums, and outreach activities that include screenings in township areas where cinemas are non-existent
Rules:Please visit Durban International Film Festival website for more info
Out In Africa South African Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
These two handsome guys are quite stylish and have such lovely smiles to boot.
Year Started:1994
Country:South Africa
City:Cape Town
Type:International
Details: A Gay and Lesbian Film Festival which runs annually in Johannesburg and Cape Town along with smaller “satellite” film festivals in other towns as part of an outreach program.Created to celebrate the South African constitution, which prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.The Festival set out to address the lack of visibility of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex individuals (LGBTIs) in South African social and cultural life after decades of apartheid repression, to counter negative images of LGBTIs that prevail in traditional and religious communities, and to serve as a platform for discussion and debate about the situation of LGBTI people in a newly founded democracy.
Rules:Films are sometimes followed by question and answer sessions or panel discussions after the screenings of select films. The festival runs for around 20 days each year, in either late September, October, or early November. For more info check out their site.
Zanzibar International Film Festival
I would go just for these dance and music events. Fun!
Year Started:1997
Country:Tanzania
City:Zanzibar City
Type:International
Details:ZIFF or Festival of the Dhow Countries is East Africa’s largest film, music and arts festival. A non-governmental organization to develop and promote film and other cultural industries as an impetus for the regional social and economic growth.
Rules: 8 days of local and international discussion panels, workshops, 10 days of screenings of the best local and international cinema and evenings of musical concerts including a Gala each evening. ZIFF recently started giving 12 International Awards presented by 5 International Juries. For more info visit website.
Zimbabwe International Film Festival
What a crowd!
Year Started:1997
Country:Zimbabwe
City: Harare
Type:International
Details: An annual non profit 10 day film festival held in August or September. Showcases feature films, documentary films and short films, as well as offering workshops and other cultural events. Check out more info here.
Encounters South African International Documentary Festival
Year Started:1999
Country:South Africa
City:Cape Town
Type:International
Details:First documentary festival in Africa and one of the oldest film festival on the continent. It remains one of only few on the that is solely dedicated to the genre.Find out more here.
International Film Festival of Marrakech
Oh hey, even Sharon Stone showed up.
Year Started:2001
Country:Morocco
City: Marrakech
Type:International
Details:
Since its beginning year, the FIFM has been one of the biggest events in honor of Moroccan cinema. The festival’s jury gathers noted international writers, actors and personalities, and sights to reward the best Moroccan and foreign feature and short films.The International Film Festival of Marrakech is chaired by Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco.Check outmore info here.
Sahara International Film Festival
I would love to experience watching movies like this!
Year Started: 2003
Country: Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Algeria
City: Sahrawi refugee camps
Type:International
Details: The only film festival in the world celebrated in a refugee camp. Very cool.The event is sponsored by the Polisario Front but mainly organised and funded by donors from Spain, the former colonial power in Western Sahara, gaining support from Spanish film actor Penélope Cruz and director Pedro Almodóvar.This Festival is an initiative to bring film as an entertainment and cultural form to the thousands of Sahrawis whose community has lived for more than thirty years in relative isolation in the Algerian desert, being the only film festival in the world taking place in a refugee camp. Click here for more info.
Rwanda Film Festival
Year Started:2005
Country:Rwanda
City:Kigali
Type:International
Details:occurs annually in July, The Rwandan Film Festival has gained international recognition since its start.Formed by Eric Kabera, the event aims to promote the country’s film industry. Nicknamed “Hillywood” due to Rwanda’s nickname of “Land of a Thousand Hills”,it is a travelling festival. Due to Kabera’s desire to show the films to as large of an audience as possible, the festival is held not only in the capital of Kigali, but the films, especially ones made by Rwandan film-makers, are also shown on large inflatable screens in rural areas throughout the country. Find out more here.
Dockanema
Year Started:2006
Country:Mozambique
City:Maputo
Type:Special Interest
Details: Noted as the first documentary film festival in the region Dockanema is an annual international documentary film festival held in Maputo, Mozambique. The first edition was held September 2006, and included more than 70 films. The festival is produced by the Mozambican production company Ebano Multimedia, in association with AMOCINE (Association of Mozambican Filmmakers). Go to website for more info.
Africa International Film festival
Year Started:2010
Country:Nigeria
City:Port-Harcourt, Rivers State and Lagos
Type:International
Details:The Africa International Film festival was established Chioma Ude, a film lover and entrepreneur. AFRIFF is a world class showcase that presents a complete immersion into the world of film making with participation from local and international filmmakers and professionals, celebrities, actors, directors, film critics, buyers, distributors, visual artists, film students etc… The weeklong event is one of Africa’s newest and exciting annual destination for an amazing film experience and celebration. More info here.
Comment below and share your experiences or which ones you are dying to attend!
