My Ethiopian Story by 15 Year Old Filmmaker Zuriel Oduwole

My Ethiopian Story by 15 Year Old Filmmaker Zuriel Oduwole

Born in the United States of Nigerian and Mauritian parentage, Zuriel Oduwole describes herself as a Pan African child. Her goal is to use her programme, Dream Up, Speak, Up, Stand Up, to inspire girls to accomplish their dreams as she has been able to do, and to ensure that every girl gets an education. Moreover, she wants to use the visibility that she has attained in order to present positive images of Africa, those that tell real African stories.

PRESS RELEASE

August 15, 2018 Los Angeles - California, A day after arriving back in Los Angeles from 7 weeks on the road, visiting 6 African countries including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and lastly Ethiopia for her various projects which enunciate the need for Girls education, Zuriel is now sharing with the world her next simple country story - this time, Ethiopia!! Created in a youthful, playful, innocent - yet seriously contemporary approach with the help of some of her students, she summarizes in 50 seconds what made her time in Ethiopia fun, playful, educative, engaging, and above all , delightful. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/iwnG0Pns3fE

Before departing the historic city of Addis Ababa where her current film Follow The Ball screened in two locations, she held her now popular basic 'Film Making 101 class' for several teenage girls in the remote community of Akaki. "They too have dreams you know" she says. Truly ONE girl, can indeed make a DIFFERENCE.

LINK:

zurieloduwole.com/foundation

IIFF 2018 - International Images Film Festival for Women : Sound of Tears, Dorothy A. Atabong, Cameroon/Canada

International Images Film Festival

for Women

(Harare)

IIFF 2018

Sound of Tears, 2014 (Outreach Film)

Dorothy A. Atabong

Cameroon/Canada

SYNOPSIS

Amina and her family have fled the city to escape her estranged lover Josh, and the stamp of shame from their patriarchal community; but Josh tracks them down.

BIOGRAPHY

Cameroon-born Dorothy A. Atabong based in Canada, is an award-winning actress, writer and producer best known for Sound of Tears for which she won various awards including an Africa Movie Academy Award in 2015. Source Wikipedia.

IIFF 2018 – International Images Film Festival for Women (Harare) : Nyasaland, Joyce Mhango Chavula, Malawi

International Images Film Festival

for Women
(Harare)

IIFF 2018

Nyasaland, 2018

Joyce Mhango Chavula

Malawi

SYNOPSIS

A very successful and independent young woman returns to her village to see her ill father only to find him dead and buried. What follows is her encounter with the hyena that is terrorising the village and it happens to be a human being. With the help of a young man she takes the hyena head on and saves her village.

BIOGRAPHY

Joyce Mhango Chavula is an actress, film producer and screenwriter. After a stint in theatre she worked on four film productions in Malawi and Nollywood, which were a launch pad for her own film production. Source: http://makewana.org/filming-lilongwe-interview-with-joyce-chavura-mhango/

IIFF 2018 – International Images Film Festival for Women (Harare) : Mukanya, Siza Mukwedini, Zimbabwe

International Images Film Festival

for Women
(Harare)

IIFF 2018

Mukanya, 2018

Siza Mukwedini

Zimbabwe 

SYNOPSIS

From a past marred by drunkenness and violence, the village menace, Mukanya, embarks on a journey to redeem himself by saving his son, who has become a reflection of Mukanya’s failures as a father. This is the journey of two men transforming into fathers. This film inspires conversations around the state of Zimbabwean as well as African fathers in the face of patriarchy and changing perspectives of what fatherhood is all about. A Conversations with our Fathers Project.

BIOGRAPHY

Siza Mukwedini has over 10 years' experience in documentary film production. Her main focus is development, with a focus on sharing inspirational stories that encourage development and social cohesion in Zimbabwe. She has worked with the Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union highlighting success stories in agriculture. The program has also encouraged a lot of young people to turn to agriculture as a source of employment. Siza is an amazing storyteller and uses new media like film and photography. She mostly films and edits her own documentaries. Selected in 2015 to participate in the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders in the United States, upon completion of the Fellowshipher objective is to inspire Zimbabwe and Africa to realize the vast potential they have through creating her inspirational films. She believes the first step to effectively fostering social and economic development is inspiring the mind and aims to partner with some of Africa’s greatest minds she will have the chance of meeting through the Fellowship to achieve her vision.

Source: https://www.irex.org/people/sizhakele-martha-mukwedini-siza

IIFF 2018 – International Images Film Festival for Women (Harare) : Marie Madeleine: A Female Chief, Florence Ayisi, Cameroon

International Images Film Festival

for Women
(Harare)

IIFF 2018

Marie Madeleine: A Female Chief (2018)

Florence Ayisi

Cameroon

SYNOPSIS

A woman is to be enthroned as chief in Nkol Ngock I, a small village in Cameroon. This is a rare occurrence in most African societies where the position of chief is customarily handed down from father to son. This documentary presents a rare glimpse into a community undergoing change. Social attitudes towards gender equality are changing, as men openly acknowledge and speak about the importance of women in development. One man says "women are doing more to encourage development than men. I believe a female chief will bring new things."

Even though some villagers consider Marie-Madeleine a 'stranger' because she lives in the capital city of Yaoundé, she is determined to learn about her culture and integrate into village life.

As Marie-Madeleine beats the real African drum on her enthronement day, the gentle sounds signal a break with tradition. It is the dawn of a new era in the village of Nkol Ngock I; a Woman will be their traditional leader. Residents are optimistic that she will bring much needed development to the village.

BIOGRAPHY

Florence Ayisi is Professor of International Documentary Film. She teaches film history, theory, creative documentary film practice, transnational cinemas, cultural representations. She is also an award winning documentary filmmaker, presenting rare insights and affirmative aspects of African people and their culture from a Woman-centred and Pan-African perspective. She has made films in Cameroon and Tanzania, including films such as Sisters in Law (co-directed with Kim Longinotto, 2005), Zanzibar Soccer Queens (2007), Zanzibar Soccer Dreams (co-directed with Catalin Brylla, 2016). Her films have won numerous prestigious film awards including PRIX ART ET ESSAI at Cannes film festival; Grierson Award for Best Documentary on a Contemporary Issue; Audience Award at International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA); and Peabody Award in USA.

Florence Ayisi has taught film and media studies at several Higher Education institutions (HEIs) in the U.K. for over 20 years, including University of Sunderland, Coventry University, University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport.

(Source: http://staff.southwales.ac.uk/users/6797-fayisi01)

Marie Madeleine: A Female Chief - TRAILER from Florence Ayisi on Vimeo.