Recent Films. Thato Rantao Mwosa: Memoirs of a Black Girl

Thato Rantao Mwosa (Botswana)
Memoirs of a Black Girl (USA)
2021 - 76min - Fiction

Synopsis
Memoirs of a Black Girl is a coming-of-age story of a girl and her friends who are forced to grow up and make tough decisions. Aisha Johnson, an astute and bright student, is one of the finalists for a coveted scholarship. One day after Aisha does the right thing, her life spirals out of control and her once-promising future is in jeopardy. Aisha learns to survive, navigate life at school and on the unforgiving streets of Roxbury while keeping her eyes on the prize. (Source: https://memoirsofablackgirlfilm.com/)

Bio
Boston-based Thato Rantao Mwosa from Botswana, is an illustrator, screenwriter and filmmaker. She completed her studies in Film Production and Marketing/Advertising Communication at Emerson College, after which she obtained a certificate from New York Film Academy and a MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen at Lesley University. Thato teaches TV, Film and Documentary Filmmaking at Brookline High School in Massachusetts. (Source: https://thatomwosa.com/) 

 

Memoirs of a Black Girl Trailer from thato mwosa on Vimeo.

Image: memoirsofablackgirlfilm.com

Indiegogo crowdfunding: Ampe Study or Leap into the Sky Black Girl (Ghana)

Indiegogo crowdfunding

Ampe Study or Leap into the Sky Black Girl (Ghana)

Description from Indiegogo: 

"Ampe Study", which follows the journey of Black girlhood through the lens of the Ghanaian traditional game ampe. Ampe is a rhythmic, high-energy game played by girls in Ghana, West Africa. It includes jumping, clapping, and an all-around cheer and hype as two teams select a stepping pattern and face off. The teams have leading players, referred to as “the mothers'', who start the game and encourage players to compete at their best. The innate joy and competitive edge of ampe reveals the desire that Black girls have to not only be set free, but to also feel a range of emotions without judgement.

For more information on the crowdfunding campaign and to make a contribution to support the research and production of the film: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ampe-study-or-leap-into-the-sky-black-girl

Writer/Filmmaker Claudia Owusu has created a series of videos on Vimeo to discuss the project focus, its objectives, treatment, and conceptulization.

Ampe Study - Project Focus from Claudia Owusu on Vimeo.

Image created from Facebook photo.

Women in Animation World Summit 2021 with keynote speaker Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin

Women in Animation World Summit 2021

with keynote speaker

Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin

 

https://womeninanimation.org/

The summit will be held June 14-19 2021 under the theme: “The Business Case for Diversity.” Keynote speaker Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin, Ph.D. is Lead Artist of AT BUFFALO: A New Musical and Vice President of Creative Affairs, JusticeRx

Women in Animation (WIA) envisions a world in which women share fully in the creation, production and rewards of animation, resulting in richer and more diverse entertainment and media that move our culture forward. The mission of WIA is to bring together a global community of animation professionals to empower and support women in the art, science and business of animation by increasing access to resources, creating opportunities for education, encouraging strong connections between individuals, and inspiring excellence.

Recent films. Nthabiseng Mosieane: Overcome Beloved (Addressing Gender-based Violence)

Recent films. Nthabiseng Mosieane: Overcome Beloved (Addressing Gender-based Violence)

Overcome Beloved by Nathabiseng Mosieane, premiered on SABC1 (South African Broadcasting Corporation) this month highlighting the importance of raising awareness regarding gender-based violence. The short film follows the experiences of Nomhle Nkosana who is faced with the hard reality of sheltering with her daughter in a safe house. However, her husband discovers their whereabouts and Nomhle finally sees him for the monster he has always been and fighting for her life becomes her only option.

Nathabisend Mosieane, whose objective is to "document reel stories across Africa and the world" featured the 4-episode series, "Being a Woman in South Africa during Women's Month 2019 on YouTube. The series profiles a diversity of women who share they experiences about love, intimacy and relationships. See: https://www.youtube.com/c/NthabisengMosieane/videos
 

African Women of the Screen and New Media

African Women of the Screen

and New Media

Beti Ellerson

The advent of social media and digital technologies marked a new era in African film production, spectatorship, reception, diffusion, critique and pedagogy. Its impact on the visibility of women and their work is undeniable, as these devices have become the dominant tools and strategies for visual exchange and communication. The emergence of an online community of African women of the screen since the 2010s has proven to be a game-changer as a network of stakeholders interconnected as colleagues, friends, fans, followers, group members, navigates within a collective virtual space.

The above observations, discussed in my article, “African Women of the Screen at the Digital Turn,” A Special Report featured in Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media 10 (Winter 2015–16) <http://alphavillejournal.com/Issue10/HTML/ArticleEllerson.html>, were drawn from my analysis of trends and tendencies and critical engagement of African women makers with the strategies and devices of new media and their evolution in screen culture practices. Since the report, written in 2016, social media is ever-present in all aspects of their screen culture practices. And the urgency of the cinema world's collective response as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is evident in the pervasive presence of virtual environments. Forced into lockdown mode and social distancing, film festivals, screenings and related events, already scheduled throughout the remainder of the year quickly adjusted to the new reality. Some were postponed or cancelled, others spontaneously converted to online versions. The pandemic underscored the ubiquity of digital technologies, which quickly restructured the platforms and resources needed to support the ever-expanding transmedial practices of the moving image. The virtual event has become the norm. Zoom meetings, panel discussions and interviews, on-line festivals and film streaming and other transmedial events appear to be part of the future post-Covid-19 screen culture landscape.

The African Women in Cinema Blog regularly features African women makers' engagement with ever-evolving New Media technologies and its empowering and expansive influences on their work. Following are a few examples, which will be updated with relevant links.

The CNA, Cinéma Numérique Ambulant Afrique (Mobile Digital Cinema-Africa) : facing the challenges of/face à la COVID-19
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2021/02/cna-afrique-covid-19.html

Conférence du Pavillon des Cinémas d'Afrique : Programme Tables Rondes : "Porter haut et fort la voix des femmes dans les cinémas d'Afrique" (Women's voices heard loud and clear in the cinemas of Africa)
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2020/06/conference-du-pavillon-des-cinemas.html

Warkha TV : Briser le Silence (Breaking the Silence)
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2020/02/tv5monde-warkhatv-briser-le-silence-des.html

Monique Mbeka Phoba: "Sister Oyo", the importance of social media, and the Kisskissbankbank crowdfunding campaign
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2014/05/monique-mbeka-phoba-sister-oyo.html

Single Rwandan / Celib Rwandais by/de Jacqueline Kalimunda analyse/analysis by/par Viviane Azarian
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2015/06/single-rwandan-celib-rwandais-byde.html

Ghanaian-German Jacqueline Nsiah’s digital Sankofa storytelling experience and other diasporic journeys
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2015/10/ghanaian-german-jacqueline-nsiahs.html

Julie Djikey: Performance "Ozonisation"
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2014/04/julie-djikey-performance-ozonisation.html

A Portait: Mayye Zayed
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2012/07/portait-mayye-zayed.html

A Conversation with Angéla Aquereburu
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2010/05/conversation-with-angela-aquereburu.html

The African Diaspora International Film Festival celebrates Africa Month 2021: 2 Weeks in Lagos by Kathryn Fasegha (Nigeria/Canada)

The African Diaspora International Film Festival (NYADIFF) celebrates Africa Month 2021 with 2 Weeks in Lagos by Kathryn Fasegha (Nigeria/Canada) among the selection of films. Screenings and Zoom Q&As, from May 28 to May 31.

Kathryn Fasegha
2 Weeks in Lagos
Nigeria/Canada
Comedy Drama - 115min - 2019

https://nyadiff.org/

 

Synopsis

2 Weeks in Lagos is a turbulent and thrilling journey into the lives of Ejikeme and Lola. Their lives collide when investment banker Ejikeme comes home from the United States with Lola’s brother Charlie to invest in Nigerian businesses. Upon meeting Lola, Ejikeme falls in love with her and must defy his parents’ plan to marry him to the daughter of a wealthy politician. 2 Weeks in Lagos captures the excitement, vibrancy, and complexity of everyday life in Lagos, a dynamic city where anything is possible in 2 Weeks.

For information on virtual event
https://watch.eventive.org/africancinema/play/609957193b03050069a44d80

Black Camera: Fifty Years of Women's Engagement at FESPACO by Beti Ellerson (Fall 2020)

Black Camera: Fifty Years of Women's Engagement at FESPACO 

by Beti Ellerson (Fall 2020)

Black Camera: An International Film Journal
Part I: Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO): Formation, Evolution, Challenges. Volume 12, Number 1, Fall 2020, pp. 245-254

FESPACO has long served as a point of reference both in Africa and internationally. It has been the meeting point beyond the physicality of its bi-annual location, and holds a dominant place in the African cinematic imagination. What has happened, what is happening at the moment during its weeklong activities, and what will happen in its future are of significant import. Its legendary history continues to loom large in the annals of African cinema, and, the role that women have performed within it. Likewise, on the continent, in step with the global appeal for women's increased visibility on the cinematic landscape, a clarion call has been sounded: for parity in leadership indicative of women's capacity as decision-makers; and their place: as half of humanity. Employing a wide lens to explore trends, tendencies, and developments, this article will consider women's engagement at FESPACO, examining concomitantly, past accomplishments, present realities and future possibilities.

Published by: Indiana University Press
URL: https://muse.jhu.edu/issue/43808