PANEL: Fostering Resilient Voices - African Women Filmmakers and Curators in a Changing Industry
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In the dynamic realm of African cinema, numerous entities, ranging from international film funds to festivals and decision-makers, proclaim their support. However, an essential question arises: How do African women filmmakers and curators sustain themselves on a daily basis and in the long term? This panel delves into the multifaceted journey of African women in the industry, exploring their struggles, triumphs, and the pursuit of a distinctive and recognizable voice in a White Male-Dominated Industry. How do African women curators secure funding in an industry dominated by white men? What strategies, networks, and partnerships can empower African women curators in this context?
With Jacqueline Nsiah, Dr. Ezinne Ezepue, Ramat Musa, Aïcha Boro & Dyana Gaye
In cooperation with ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln, KIOSK – Arts Exchange e. V.
Language: English
Guests
After studying modern literature, the French-Burkin writer and filmmaker Chloé Aïcha Boro first worked as a journalist in print media. Then she started making documentaries, and her very first long documentary, FARAFIN KO, won awards at several festivals. LE LOUP D'OR DE BALOLÉ, was awarded the Étalon d'or at Fespaco 2019, then the "Trophée Francophone 2021". AL DJANAT won the special prize of the city of Ouagadougou at Fespaco 2023. It has been screened in competition at Vision du Réel in Switzerland and at Hot Docs in Toronto. Chloé Aïcha Boro is also a producer at the Burkinabe company "Productions métissées".
Dyana Gaye is a French-Senegalese director. A regular guest at Cologne since 2002, she has presented several of her films there, including DEWENETI (2006) and DES ÉTOILES (2013). In addition to directing, Dyana Gaye has worked on the selection committee of the Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde and as a member of juries at numerous festivals. In 2022, she and Valérie Osouf created the Tigritudes cycle, an anthology of pan-African cinema. She is currently developing her next feature film, STUDIO KÉBÉ. Dyana Gaye is the patroness of this year’s AFFK, and will present a selection of films from the Tigritudes program.
Dr. Ezinne Ezepue, Professor of Film Studies at the University of Nigeria, is currently a post-doctoral fellow in African storytelling at the International Film School (ifs), Cologne. Her research focuses on the adaptation of African tales. Dr. Ezepue hopes to develop a toolbox for adapting tales into contemporary narratives that address social issues, deconstruct stereotypes about Africa and promote a positive identity. She holds a BA in Theatre and Film from the University of Nigeria, an MA in Film and Television from the University of Birmingham and a PhD in Media Studies from Birmingham City University.
Ramat Musa is a Polish-Nigerian actress, author and director of AfryKamera, Warsaw's African Film Festival. She studied law before graduating from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and was involved in a new writing theater company, Matchstick Piehouse, in London. In 2021, under the direction of her friend Ogi Ugonoh, she produced the short film JESTEM/I AM, which explores the identity of black Polish people and connects their experience of life in Poland. She joined AfryKamera as producer in 2022 and is now festival director. She is currently working on her first short film as writer, director and actress.
Jacqueline Nsiah is a freelance consultant for film festivals and arts & culture. Her long and varied professional experience has taken her all over the world: As co-director of festivals in Cambridge and Rio, programme director in Accra, as curator at the Berlinale (Panorama Section), to name a few. She holds an MA in Visual and Media Anthropology from the Freie Universität in Berlin and a BA in African Studies and Politics from SOAS. Jacqueline Nsiah has published her MA thesis entitled "Returning From Exile", a research project on the return of the Ghanaian diaspora to Ghana. This year she was a curator for the AFFK and is a jury member for the Jury Price Best Feature.