Call For Films: International Images Film Festival For Women (IIFF) 2011, Harare

PRESS RELEASE

BACKGROUND TO THE FESTIVAL

The International Images Film Festival for Women (IIFF), the only annual women’s festival South of the Sahara [at its inception in 2002], this year celebrates its 10th anniversary. Women Filmmakers of Zimbabwe (WFOZ) is inviting you and your organization to make IIFF 2011 a special celebration for the festival, its beneficiaries and the women activists who run it. IIFF was founded in 2002 by WFOZ in response to the proliferation of beauty contests at that time in a bid to unpack the notion of women as beings to be observed through the male gaze. Under the theme Women With Goals, this year, the festival takes place from November 18 to 26 in Harare and from December 1 to 3 in Bulawayo. WFOZ invites you to celebrate with them their biggest achievement of a decade of film screenings where the lives of mothers, sisters and daughters have been portrayed in a positive and enriching way as IIFF turns 10. 

INTERNATIONAL IMAGES FILM FESTIVAL FOR WOMEN 2011

The theme for this year’s festival, Women With Goals reflects the United Nations’ Millenium Development Goals (M.D.Gs). As women cannot be removed from the development equation and are not only limited to goal number 3, the theme explores the goals women set for themselves and for society, challenges they come across and gaps that need bridging as far as those goals are concerned. 

Questions we are asking are: Can women achieve these goals, what prevents them from achieving these goals, how these obstacles can be overcome and how society reacts to gains made by women.

Finally, the theme celebrates the success stories of those women who have set and attained their goals as an encouragement and challenge to other women to take action. These are women who do not believe in lip service but believe in walking the talk.

While the film should have all the attributes of good cinema, including good production values and engagement values, it should also show some analysis of the woman or women featured.  Production date is irrelevant, but the film must have a woman in leading role.

Should you wish to participate but not be in a position to make a recommendation concerning a film, IIFF would be happy to undertake a search and provide a film to be approved by your mission.  IIFF would only ask that the mission covers the costs of bringing the film to Zimbabwe and returning it to its origin.

FORMATS

35 millimetre feature films are automatically admitted into the main competition. The awards are especially designed by famous Zimbabwean artiste Glen Cable, popularly known in the arts circle as Funkie Loader whose depictions of women in iron appear to leap and embrace the world in exuberance. Betacam SP and DVD features, shorts and documentaries are also programmed in other categories. 

PUBLICITY

To ensure that your film receives the audience it deserves, and for inclusion in the festival catalogue, we request you to send as soon as possible a press kit which should include a short synopsis, technical details, major cast and crew list and stills from the film.  To raise the profile of your entry further, posters would be appreciated.

Finally, all diplomatic missions sponsoring films are mentioned in our catalogue.  All missions and organizations supporting the festival in cash or additional kind are acknowledged with their logo in our catalogue and any other publications that may be produced from time to time.   

SCHEDULE

The festival is scheduled for November 18 to 26, 2011 in Harare and December 1 to 3 Bulawayo.

PARTICIPATION

In addition to sponsored films, we are also appealing for donations in cash or kind to continue the success of the festival.  Our budget itemises the areas in which contributions may be made in cash or kind.  This budget will be sent to you upon request should you be interested in contributing beyond the sponsorship of a film.

Please send enquiries to:

The Festival Director, IIFF, Box BW 1550, Borrowdale, Harare.

Tel:  04 - 862355, cell:  0712 401 104/ 0712512552, email: wfoz@mango.zw                                                                                           

Ariane Astrid Atodji: Koundi and National Thursday

Ariane Astrid Atodji at the
Dubai Film Festival 2010
©Zimbio

An article by Mathurin Petsoko published 06 April 2011 in Journal Du Cameroun.com. Translated from French to English by Beti Ellerson

Thanks to her film entitled Koundi et le jeudi national/Koundi and National Thursday, Cameroonian Ariane Astrid Atodji was an honor to her country.

From 24 March to 5 April 2011, the 33rd Festival International des films documentaries was held at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Unlike past years, the presence of African films was scarce at the Festival Cinéma du Réel. "We received very few African films” regrets Javier Packer-Comyn, the director of the Festival. “Productions are becoming increasingly rare. Other festivals in France put a great deal of effort into African cinema, but overall, African film production is diminishing.” A fortunate exception, Koundi et le jeudi national, by Ariane Astrid Atodji.

In her first film, with very nice images she quietly recounts the story of a village of 1,200 inhabitants in eastern Cameroon. Amazed by the joy of life of the village dwellers, she discovered their miracle recipe:

the inhabitants agree to give a day of work per month to a collaborative project: a cocoa plantation. "This obvious sense of contentment in the village really struck me. I had not seen people like them in a long time. They were very satisfied with their situation; there was no complaining. I could definitely see that they would not die of hunger."

Born in Nguelemendouka, Ariane grew up in Cameroon and attended film workshops at the Goethe Institute in Yaoundé before studying at the LN International Film School of Yaoundé. At the Cinema du Réel she was able to produce and present Koundi and National Thursday. "There is no funding in Cameroon. I was very fortunate to find funding from the Goethe-Institut Kamerun. The question is what can the documentary bring to the Cameroonian society? "There is not a documentary film culture in Cameroon” says Ariane. "People are more interested in fiction. When making the film I had the non-Cameroonian public in mind, who are familiar with the documentary genre. Not only are there no longer cinema houses in Cameroon, but there is not an audience either, because people are not interested. They say: What is it, this documentary? What are we to make of it? Honestly, the idea of showing this film in theaters in Cameroon never occurred to me."

Koundi et le jeudi national/Koundi and National Thursday (2010) by Ariane Astrid Atodji

Translation into English of French Subtitles:

Si l’Etat rompt le contrat de forêt communautaire, comment vivra Koundi?

The State terminates the community forest contract, how will the village of Koundi live ?

Grâce à cacao!

Thanks to cocoa!

La forêt peut s’arrêter, mais pas le cacao!

The forest can stop, but not the cocoa!

Pour la nouvelle cacaoyère,

ça sera comme pour la forêt communautaire:

The community forest will be

like the new cocoa plantation.

Le village de Koundi va profiter du cacao.

The village of Koundi will benefit from the cocoa.

Tout le monde doit participer

aux travaux de ce champ!

Everyone must participate

in working in the field!

On a prévu un jour de travail commun par mois

qu’on va dédier à ce travail.

A common workday per month has been planned

we will commit ourselves to this work.

Ça sera le jeudi national!

It will be National Thursday!

Tout le monde doit participer avec joie!

Everyone must participate with joy!

Ah---ça ne marche pas.

Regarde!

Oh --- it does not work.

Look!

Sachez ceci!

Le chef dit que ce jeudi,

Know this!

The chief said that this Thursday!

C’est le “jeudi national”. Tout le monde doit se

rendre au champ de cacao.

It is National Thursday. Everyone must

go to the cocoa plantation.

En français on dit: champ communautaire.

In French we say community field.

En maka c’est: Pombo cacao.

In Maka it is : Pombo cocoa.

Tous les hommes doivent y aller!

All men must go there

Chaque jeudi national

Tout le monde doit aller au champ!

On every National Thursday

everyone must to go to the field!

Que personne ne reste!

No one should remain behind!

Ce jeudi sera un, jeudi national”,

tout le monde doit venir travailler!

This Thursday will be a National Thursday"

everyone must come to work!

Le chef l’a dit:

tout le monde doit aller au champ!

The chief said:

Everyone must go to the field!

Les hommes doivent dormir

avec leur machete au pied du lit!

The men must sleep

with their machete at the foot of the bed!

C’est un champ prévisionnel,

Au cas où il n’y aurait plus de bois.

This is the plan,

in the event that there is no more wood.

Focus on Women: Perspectives from Oslo, FilmAfrikana 2011

FilmAfrikana, founded by Norwegian-Ghanaian Lamisi Gurah, is an independent Oslo-based film festival whose purpose is to expose the Norwegian public to films by people of Africa and the African Diaspora. Providing a different perspective is an important goal for Lamisi Gurah.

Films that deal with cultural, political and social issues, showing realistic, positive images of black people, counter the dominant media portrayals of a helpless, war-ravaged, disease-ridden continent. Her hope is that initiatives such as FilmAfrikana will provide new knowledge and introduce debates about the issues covered. A goal as well is to collaborate with other film festivals and to reach out to schools and cultural institutions, and eventually to be able to provide Norway-based distribution outlets to promote African and African Diasporan films.

This year's festival, which ran from 28 March to 3 April 2011, focused on women in front of and behind the camera. British-based Florence Ayisi from Cameroon presented her film Art of This Place: Women Artists in Cameroon (2011) followed by a debate and Q&A. The screening of Say My Name, a worldwide documentary project about women, featuring Say My Name Africa, preceded a discussion by Monica Ifejilika and Amina Sewali. UK-based Sonia Godding Togobo from Guyana, premiered her film Adopted ID, which traces the experiences of Judith Craig, who, adopted in a Canadian family as an infant, returns to Haiti as an adult to find her birth family. Moderated by Hannah Wozene Kvam, Sonia and Judith discussed the making of the film, Judith's journey, and their interest in using the film to build awareness about the many issues explored in it. Having lived a similar experience, Hannah served as both discussant and eyewitness. Her film Wozene, min siste favoritt, Wozene, the last favourite, co-directed with Ingvil Giske, follows her own path: adopted into a Norwegian-based Ethiopian family as an infant, she returned to Ethiopia as an adult in search of her biological family.

Invited to present her research and work on African women in cinema, under the title, "African Women in Cinema, Past, Present and Future", Beti Ellerson traced the presence of women professionals in African cinema from its birth using excerpts from her film documentary Sisters of the Screen: African Women in the Cinema. In addition, she discussed tendencies and relevant moments in history, providing points for future inquiry and discourse. During the same evening, expat American artist, Zainab McCoy, a longtime Norwegian resident, presented her short experimental film, Everyday is Martin Luther King Day, an animated discussion ensued.

The issues around identity, positionality and social location that permeated the films and debates are indicative of a growing interest in focusing on African experiences from a global perspective. Moreover, they reflect the goals of the Afrikan History Week, the Nordic Black Theatre and FilmAfrikana, to provide venues in which topics regarding the experiences of people of African descent may be raised, debated and understood.

Report by Beti Ellerson

Links:

FilmAfrikana (Link no longer active)

A Conversation with Nikyatu Jusu

Sierra Leonean-American filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu is currently Professor of Directing and Screenwriting, Film and Video Studies, CVPA at George Mason University.

In this 2011 interview she talks about her hybrid identity, American cinema, New Media, and the issues that informed her films.

Updated in 2022

Her film Suicide By Sunlight: a project funded by THROUGH HER LENS and sponsored by the Tribeca Film Institute and Chanel, made its debut at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and is currently finishing a prolific festival run. 

Nikyatu made her TV Directing debut with an episode of the original scripted horror anthology: Two Sentence Horror Stories, which premiered on CW Sept 2019.  

The Nanny feature script, was selected for the 2019 Sundance Institute Creative Producing Labs & Summit, the 2020 Sundance Screenwriter's Lab and the 2019 IFP Project Forum.

It  was one of 35 projects selected for the 2020 Creative Capital Awards. 

Nanny, which is her first feature film, was selected at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, winning the Grand Jury Prize (US Dramatic).

INTERVIEW:

A growing number of filmmakers are emerging from the New African Diaspora. A Diaspora which reflects the multiple identities, histories and experiences of those born in the United States and other western countries but who also embrace the Africa of their parents. Could you give some reflections on your experiences?

I grew up in what, for a very long time, felt like a cultural vacuum in which my sense of normalcy was revived every time I stepped foot in my home.  There was always the smell of African food, my mother often wore African garb and both my parents spoke their native languages sprinkled with English.

School was another matter, in which I would often shed any association with Sierra Leone, because at the time I simply wanted to “fit in” and not draw undue attention to myself.  I think the taunts from fellow minority children really confused me for some time and yet I came to the realization that many of these kids were hiding from their own immigrant lineage in their attempt to attain this nebulous “normalcy” our young minds idealized.

Now, as an adult, I understand that my dual hybridized identity is one to celebrate and embrace.  As anyone can see, African-ness is permeating much of popular culture: primarily fashion and film, so of course it’s easier now to embrace something that is being lauded.

The provocatively titled, African Booty Scratcher (2008), recounts the story of Isatu, a young Sierra Leonean American, at the intersection of two cultures—or perhaps three, her mother’s culture, American culture and US high school culture: the expectations of friends and the desire to fit in.  Are you exploring your own experiences and/or that of your Sierra Leonean American peers? Please talk about the film, and the title.

Yes, this film is a semi autobiography of my experiences.  I was racking my brain as to what to write for my 2nd year NYU Graduate Film Exercise and I had a lightbulb moment.  I never ever wanted to be associated with traditional garb during high school and absolutely NOT during middle school!  The repercussions from my evil peers were much too grave (kids are mean to each other: this is nothing new).

African Booty Scratcher is a familiar taunt for many kids raised in the 80’s and 90’s.  I later learned that John Singleton even has a character say it in Boyz N The Hood, which was very funny to me. I’m still surprised at how much this short film resonated with so many different people.  I received so much thanks via email, Facebook, and other social outlets.

There is an ongoing debate regarding the experiences of African Americans versus those of Africans in the US, the former encompassing those who have ancestors who experienced U.S. slavery while the latter have largely migrated to the United States post-African independence and constitute a “Neo-Diaspora”. What are your thoughts on this debate especially as it relates to your past, present and future work?

It’s funny because I would think we would use the opportunity to share and enlighten one another, and yet we continue to harbor sentiments that force us to create a hierarchy:  "I’m better than you because…"

The debate is silly.  The taunts are silly.  The divisiveness is ridiculous.

I think what’s important is mutual understanding of just how significant we are to each other’s image, success, development as a “race”.  We should have embraced ourselves as a monolith decades ago so that we could forge a stronger whole.

Much of my work deals with displaced women, immigrant women in the context of the United States and so I gravitate to that sort of content.

In African Booty Scratcher you touch on the tensions of the two groups. However, I do wonder why you focused on the stereotypes regarding African-American attitudes towards Africans, rather than those who embrace Africa and are very afro-centric in their dress, attitude and behavior.

This is a good question and one that I wish I would have had the time to address in my short film.

The short format is very limited in scope in regards to filmmaking and so one has to pick and choose what she deems necessary to her theme/story.

I did touch on the irony that white people are often quick to embrace Africa: often fetishizing and glamorizing it as is illustrated by the white woman in the restaurant scene.

Say Grace Before Drowning, also an eye-catching title, focuses on a woman’s psychologically devastating experiences as a victim of rape in the war-ravaged Sierra Leone, and its effects on her daughter. This film and others relay experiences from the perspective of women of Sierra Leonean descent. Could you talk about these works and your focusing your lens toward Sierra Leone?

My family is from Sierra Leone and early in one’s filmmaking career it’s smart to “write what you know”.  Though, in both Say Grace and ABS [African Booty Scratcher] I never specify a country: the assumption is that these people are from some West African country and audiences can project the country of their choice into the story—whatever resonates with them.

I notice a common thread in your films, an interest in exploring the internal feelings and conflicts of your black female characters. I am fascinated with this aspect, especially through the lens of a black woman.

Yes, I’m glad you see this because this is intentionally my focus.  I don’t think that prevailing media portrays black women as the multifaceted beings we are in reality.  We’ve been done an injustice with the same old tired stereotype: but I hope to present a different and much more titillating picture.

Sierra Leone is not known for a film culture, is there an emerging presence? What is your relationship to Sierra Leone and the Sierra Leonean Diaspora?

My family is Sierra Leonean and no, the country is not known for a film culture just yet: however actions are being taken gradually to remedy this.  As you know, we were thrust into a devastating decade-long civil war that ended in 2001 so we’re of course still picking up the pieces.

I know about a few film schools that are popping up, namely “Nah We Own” TV, which is a nonprofit that empowers Sierra Leoneans to create their own short documentary and narrative pieces.

I hope to shoot a narrative short and eventual feature film in Sierra Leone soon.

You were born and raised in the United States and studied filmmaking there, what is your relationship with American and/or African American film culture?

Honestly, I’ve only recently begun to watch a lot of American films.  I’m a “foreign film whore” and a friend of mine recently pointed out to me that I needed to diversify my palate with more films from the US.

Even though I’m just as much American as I am African, I guess the reason I haven’t really taken to Black American Cinema (whatever this term means) is because most of the waves are currently being made.  Of course, I’d be remiss to ignore the pioneers such as Spike Lee, John Singleton, Charles Burnett, etc—I absolutely acknowledge them. What I mean is that, I’m seeing my black filmmaking peers, those slightly older than me, actively creating feature films that redefine Black American Cinema and more importantly expand it!

So, I’m very hopeful about what’s to come in the next few years.  But as far as the contemporary jumble of chitlin films masquerading as black cinema goes, I’m not a fan.

It appears that your screen identity, your presence on the Internet is an integral part of the promotion of your work and sharing it with others. You have a website/blog, you do Skype interviews, you have Youtube and Vimeo channels, and a presence on Facebook. What role does “New Media” play in your experiences as filmmaker?

I’m a young filmmaker and all of these social outlets have been an integral part of how I maneuver the world, digest information, spread information, etc.  I remember when Facebook originated, I was in undergraduate school at Duke and at the time only a handful of colleges had access.  It was all about elitism and exclusivity: if you weren’t attending one of the “top” colleges, you couldn’t create an account.

Now Facebook is accessible to everyone and rightfully so. The fact that now I have a concrete reason to play with these very accessible marketing tools will only enhance my usage of them as a filmmaker.

“New Media” is the future of filmmaking marketing and distribution, though viral outreach alone won’t get butts in seats: it certainly is an expeditious way to reach a wider and perhaps less-reached demographic.

Most of my audience are not avid film festival goers, so what better way to keep them abreast of my work than the Internet?

Most importantly, I think that New Media gives an intangible audience the opportunity to interact with the filmmaker: create a dialogue in which they feel like an integral part of the creation process. Audiences are becoming much more savvy.  They know what experiences they want to take away from a movie-going experience and when these expectations are not met, they quickly move onto the next product.

The New Media structure gives us filmmakers an ability to tap into what our audiences want.

Interview by Beti Ellerson (March 2011)

Links

Nikyatu Jusu on Vimeo

Mahen Bonetti: The New York African Film Festival

The New York-based African Film Festival (NYAFF) has become a staple of the city's cinematic landscape thanks to its founder and executive director, Sierra Leonean Mahen Bonetti. Founded with the support of her husband and important players on the New York City culture scene, NYAFF has become an institution in itself and is a groundbreaking network for the promotion, exhibition, and distribution of African cinema in the United States. As the NYAFF motto indicates "it is more than just a festival".

NYAFF as an idea emerged in the 1980s from Mahen's desire to show positive, diverse and realistic visual representation of Africa in the United States, in contrast to the dominant media images of misery and strife. While the festival concept had not yet formulated, she had already begun to look for a way to make a contribution towards correcting these misconceptions about Africa. As the film festival took shape in the 1990s its main objective was to use the medium of cinema to promote awareness about Africa and educate both Americans and Africans living in the United States. At the same time, it has always been committed to the development of an international audience for African films. The scope and scale of NYAFF expands to reflect the ever-changing realities of Africa and the African Diaspora, as well as new developments in African cinema practices.

And while in cinema one often finds a dominance of men, within NYAFF there is a high visibility of women in all spheres. Women have always played an integral role--from the very top of the small organization to the board of directors and advisory board, in the selection of films, and the articles and interviews in the impressive Through African Eyes publication series.

Mahen had this to say to my question during our interview: "As a woman, do you feel that you have a sensibility towards African women's works? Could you talk about the visual image of African women and the representation of African women in the film industry and also share your impressions on films by African women, the sensibility, themes, tendencies?" (From Sisters of the Screen: Women of African on Film, Video and Television, Beti Ellerson, 2000).

I think Africa is a woman and everything that is working in Africa is because women are behind it.  They also have a sensitivity and the rhythm.  Women are more three-dimensional, they are deeper, and in Africa, that complexity comes from a woman. I find that the subjects that the African women deal with are different from those of African-American women's films, much less Hollywood.  Here in the States, one doesn't expect to see things like polygamy, female genital mutilation, or women in Tanzania crushing stone.  You feel their passion, you feel their confusion, you share it with them. Safi Faye's film Mossane is a beautiful film; there you have three generations of women. I also felt lucky; she let me show it this year.  I love the relationship between the grandmother and the granddaughter.

No aspect of African cinema is more miraculous than the most unbidden emergence of female filmmakers on the continent.  What makes film the most immediate, the most direct of all art forms is its ability to transport, to place one instantaneously in someone else's situation.  Their films sometimes focus on the challenges of adjustment and this is why audiences can identify.  Whether they are depicting upheavals or celebrating life, they show "little people" trying to "do the right thing."
I believe the female African filmmaker has a defined perception of her world and because of this her films translate.  It can move from one language into others.  They have tenacity, resourcefulness, and buoyancy.  Their situation requires all these qualities.

I also believe that, in using the cinematic medium, we find that in their films, women are best able to recapture, help define the true essence of African culture and African people.  They address issues in a sense that are taken away from imposed colonial values or colonial distortions and point of view.

Link: African Film Festival, Inc.