African Women in Cinema Highlights of 2010

This list is not exhaustive, it is a modest attempt to highlight significant events relevant to African Women in Cinema.

Mati Diop (France-Senegal), winner of the Tiger Award for Best Short Film at the Rotterdam International Film Festival for the film Atlantiques, February.

Peace Anyiam-Osigwe (Nigeria) is selected for the Pan African Film Festival/Africa (PAFF) Channel Visionary Award for her efforts in promoting African culture through her internationally recognized African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), February.

From a Whisper by Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya) - Award for Best Narrative Feature. PAFF Filmmaker Awards « Pan African Film and Arts Festival, February.

Des journées cinématographiques de la femme africaine de l'image is launched in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 3-8 March.

African Movie Academy Awards (March) -

Best Director - The Perfect Picture (Ghana) Shirley Frimpong Manso

Special Jury Prize - I Sing of a Well (Ghana) Leila Djansi 

Best film for an African language film - Imani (Uganda) Caroline Kamya 

First edition of "Mois du cinéma féminin" in Dakar, launched by l’Association sénégalaise des critiques de cinéma (ASCC), every Saturday during the month of March.

Special mention to Atlantiques, by Mati Diop (France-Senegal) - Cinéma du Réel - Paris, France, March.

The 32nd Festival international de film de femmes/International Women's Film Festival at Créteil presents the program Trans-Europe-Afrique. Homage to Safi Faye (Senegal). 2-11 April.

Dyana Gaye (Senegal) was among the winners at the 32nd Festival International de films de femmes: Meilleur court-métrage français/Best French short for the film: Un transport en commun/St. Louis Blues, April.

Vues d'Afrique Festival (Montréal) Zem la serie (Angela Aquereburu-Togo), special mention, Prix OIF - Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and special mention for Bidenam, l'espoir d'un village (2009) by Gentille M. Assih (Togo), April.

Prix Annette Mbaye d’Erneville created by the Agence de Presse Sénégalaise, May.

Maji-da Abdi, Paris-based Ethiopian producer-filmmaker launches "Images That Matter International Short Film Festival" (ITMSFF) in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, June.

African Women in Film Forum. Nollywood Women and the Dynamics of Representation held 16-17 June 2010 in Lagos, Nigeria.

Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) Awards (July)
Golden Dhow - Best Feature Film - Themba by Stefanie Sycholt (South Africa)
Silver Dhow - Best Feature Film - Imani by Caroline Kamya (Uganda)
Golden Dhow - Special Jury Prize - Pumzi by Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya)

Nikyatu Jusu (USA-Sierra Leone) is the winner of the Shadow And Act $3300 Filmmaker Challenge, August.

Goethe-Institut-hosted African Women Filmmaker’s Forum, a gathering of 25 women filmmakers of all levels of experience from sub-Saharan Africa, the USA and Germany to network and gain inspiration from colleagues. 1-4 September, Johannesburg, South Africa. 

Women of the Sun Film Festival. Johannesburg, South Africa, 3-9 September.

Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya) hosts a special screening of Pumzi on September 11th at the Venice Film Festival as winner of the “Prize City of Venice”. The prize goes “to an artist who with his work makes the cinema of his country appreciated and who is thus capable of stimulating its development. A filmmaker who, by prompting the artistic, social and ethical involvement of other filmmakers,makes cinema a mirror of life and of the reality of which it is an expression.”

Claude Haffner (Congo-France) is among the recipients of the PUMA.Creative Catalyst Award for documentary film, September.

Soul Boy by Hawa Essuman (Ghana-Kenya) carries the largest number of winners with three awards (Kalasha Awards, Kenya): Best Short Film, Best Lead Actor (Samson Odhiambo) and Best Scriptwriter (Billy Kahora), September.

Wanuri Kahiu receives the Kalasha Awards (Kenya) Best Director honor for Pumzi, Septemer.

Peace Anyiam-Osigwe (Nigeria) is selected as TED Fellow, October.

Asmari Beraki (USA-Eritrea) is among the 2011 Artist Fellows, awarded a grant by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington DC, October.

Yetnayet Bahru (Ethiopia) receives the Emerging Filmmaker Award, Silicon Valley African Film Festival, October.

Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya) wins the Silver Tanit for her film Pumzi at the JCC - Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage, October.

Women Filmmakers of Zimbabwe presents the 9th edition of the International Images Film Festival for Women (IIFF), the only professional women's festival south of the Sahara (founder and director Tsitsi Dangarembga). Running under the theme "Women of Decision", which investigates among other things, the societal pressures women face when making decisions for themselves, their families, and the community, November.

Sarah Bouyain (France-Burkina Faso), winner of the Grand Prize feature film (Licorne d'Or) at the 30th Festival International du Cinéma d'Amiens for Notre étrangère, November.

The third edition of Festival7Quartiers (Brazzaville) presents: "La femme et le cinéma dans la société" - Women and cinema in society (founder and director Nadège Batou), December.

The first edition of the Ghana movie Awards 2010. Shirley Frimpong Manso’s Sting in A Tale (Ghana) wins a total of 5 awards including Best Directing, Best Original Music, Best Screenplay, Best Score, and Best Cinematography. Leila Djansi (Ghana) wins Best Picture, Best Art Direction, Best Wardrobe, Best Movie (West African Collaboration) for the film Sinking Sands, December.

Vilole Images Productions hosted the View Special Images Film Festival mini-festival in commemoration of World AIDS Day, 1 December and the International Day of the Disabled, 3 December. Musola Cathrine Kaseketi (Zambia) is founder and director of the festival.

African Film Festival Inc. (New York), founded by Mahen Bonetti of Sierra Leone, who is Executive Director, releases Through African Eyes Volume 2: Conversations with the Directors, December.