Report on Afrikamera 2012 Women on and behind the screen

Report on Afrikamera 2012 - Women on and behind the screen

by Beti Ellerson

The success of Afrikamera's 5th edition, featuring women on, behind and (in front of) the screen was evident throughout the six-day event by the full attendance, insightful Q&As, overall enthusiasm of the public, and the genuine exchanges among the invited filmmakers and film professionals—both women and men.

The span of images of women on the screen and the diversity of themes by women filmmakers attest to the plurality and breadth of African women's lives and experiences.

Thirteen countries from all regions of the continent were represented with shorts, mediums and features, spanning the genres of fiction, documentary, docu-drama, animation, comedy, and sci-fi.

Many of the films included in the festival were screened in the presence of the filmmaker, actress or crew member all of whom provided great insight and reflection.

Yaba Badoe discussed her research and the making of Witches of Gambaga (Ghana); Remi Vaughan-Richards talked about the consciousness-raising efforts around the film One Small Step (Nigeria) and with producer Chichi Uzuegbu examined the experiences of the "area girls" of Lagos in the film Scent of the Streets. Léandre-Alain Baker answered with aplomb audience questions about female desire, adultery and the adaptation of a novel to film, all elements in Ramata (Senegal) interpreted by the late top model Katoucha. Georgette Paré, the lead character in the comedy, An uncommon woman (Burkina Faso) by Abdoulaye Dao, contemplated the reverse scenario of polyandry examined in the film as a challenge to men's infidelity and polygamous relationships.

Other feature films at the festival included Moroccan Leila Kilani's On the edge, Othelo Burning (South Africa) by Sara Blecher, Indochina, Traces of a Mother by Idrissou Mora Kpai of Benin, Imani (Uganda) by Caroline Kamya; and Here we drown Algerians by Yasmina Adi, about the events around the protest of 17 October 1961 in Paris.

Four, short and medium films from Mozambique focused on women and spousal abuse as well as the devastating effects of AIDS on the family: Dina by Dario Mickey Fonseca, Mae dos netos by Isabel Noronha and Vivan Altman, Impunidades criminosas by Sol de Carvalho, and Mahla, also by Dario Mickey Fonseca, who represented the Mozambican filmmakers at the festival.

"Womenfolk African Sisters of the Screen": Discussion and short film screening:

The short film screenings included an eclectic collection of works and themes about, love, beauty, identity, revolution, and the future of the planet: Pumzi by Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya), L’Ambouba and L’Mrayet by Nadia Rais (Tunisia), Yasmine et la révolution by Karin Albou (Algeria); La femme invisible by Pascale Obolo (Cameroon), Mon beau sourire (My beautiful smile) by Angèle Diabang (Senegal), Tout le monde a des raisons d’en vouloir à sa mère (Everyone has a reason to be angry at their mother) by Pauline Mulombe (DRC).

A panel discussion preceding the short film screening featured scholar Beti Ellerson, cinematographer Cécile Mulombe, and animation filmmaker and artist Nadia Rais, moderated by film curator June Givanni with French-English translations by journalist Claire Diao, the Festival moderator.

A third component of the Festival's engagement with cinema focused on women in front of the screen in the form of a panel discussion moderated by Dorothee Wenner. Beti Ellerson and June Givanni as cultural readers and film critics, along with filmmaker Yaba Badoe, producer Chichi Uzuegbu and actress Georgette Pare, also president of a casting and communications company, discussed the realities and current issues regarding African women in all spheres of cinema.

Report by Beti Ellerson

EN FRANÇAIS


Also read about other proceedings on conferences, forums and meetings of African Women in Cinema on the African Women in Cinema Blog:

Keynote: "40 years of cinema by women of Africa" by Beti Ellerson. Colloquy: Francophone African Women Filmmakers: 40 years of cinema (1972-2012), Paris, 23 and 24 November 2012. Follow link

Report on the Colloquium-Meeting "Francophone African Women Filmmakers: 40 years of cinema (1972-2012)" - Paris, 23-24 November 2012. Follow link

Women and Film in Africa: Overcoming Social Barriers, University of Westminster, London, 19–20 November 2011. A report by Bronwen Pugsley. Follow link

Report on the International Images Film Festival for Women 2011 (Harare, Zimbabwe). Follow link

Report on the African Women Filmmakers Forum 2010 - Johannesburg. Follow link

Compte-rendu : Afrikamera 2012 Les femmes sur et derrière l'écran - Women on and behind the screen

Le succès de la 5e édition de l’AFRIKAMERA, mettant en vedette des femmes sur, derrière ainsi que devant l'écran, était évident tout au long de ces six jours du festival, marqué par les salles pleines, les débats perspicaces, l'enthousiasme général du public, et les échanges constructifs entre les réalisateur(rice)s et professionnel(le)s. L’étendue des images des femmes sur l'écran et la diversité des thèmes abordés par les réalisatrices témoignent de la pluralité et richesse de la vie et des expériences des Africaines.

Treize pays de toutes les régions du continent ont été représentés, avec des courts, moyens et longs métrages couvrant les genres tels que la fiction, le documentaire, le docu-fiction, l’animation, la comédie, et le science-fiction.

La participation des cinéastes, des actrices ou des professionnelles pendant les projections a assuré des débats animés et stimulants. Yaba Badoe a discuté sa recherche et la réalisation de Les Sorcières de Gambaga (Ghana); Remi Vaughan-Richards a parlé de la campagne de sensibilisation autour de son film One Small Step (Nigeria) et avec le producteur Chichi Uzuegbu, elles ont examiné les expériences des filles « de la zone » à Lagos dans le film Scent of the Street. Léandre-Alain Baker a répondu avec aplomb aux questions du public sur le plaisir de la femme, l'adultère et l'adaptation d'un roman au film, les éléments qui font partis de Ramata (Sénégal) interprétée par la top-modèle regrettée Katoucha. Georgette Paré, le personnage principal de la comédie Une femme pas comme des autres (Burkina Faso) de Abdoulaye Dao, a envisagé un scénario en sens inverse, dont la polyandrie examinée dans le film met en cause l'infidélité des hommes et leurs relations polygames.

Les autres longs-métrages inclus dans le festival ont été egalement divers : Sur la planche de la Marocaine Leila Kilani, Othelo Burning (Afrique du Sud) de Sara Blecher, Indochine sur les traces de ma mère d’Idrissou Mora Kpai du Bénin, Imani (Ouganda) de Caroline Kamya, et Ici on noie les Algériens de Yasmina Adi, sur les événements autour de la manifestation du 17 octobre 1961 à Paris.

Quatre films, courts et moyens métrages du Mozambique ont été axés sur les femmes et la violence conjugale ainsi que les effets dévastateurs du sida sur la famille: Dina de Dario Mickey Fonseca, Mae dos netos de Isabel Noronha et Vivan Altman, Impunidades criminosas de Sol de Carvalho, et Mahla, également par Dario Mickey Fonseca qui représentait les cinéastes mozambicains au festival.

« Écran d’Afrique au féminin (African sisters of the screen » :

La projection des courts-métrages comprenait d’une collection éclectique de films sur les thèmes de l'amour, la beauté, l'identité, la révolution et l'avenir de la planète : Pumzi de Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya), L'Ambouba et L'Mrayet de Nadia Rais (Tunisie), Yasmine et la révolution de Karin Albou (Algérie); La femme invisible de Pascale Obolo (Cameroun), Mon beau sourire d’Angèle Diabang (Sénégal), Tout le monde a des raisons d‘en vouloir à sa mere de Pauline Mulombe (RDC). Les participantes à la discussion avant la projection sont venues de diverses sphères du cinéma: la chercheure Beti Ellerson, la cinématographe Cécile Mulombe et la cinéaste d'animation et artiste Nadia Rais, animé par la commissaire du film June Givanni et avec la journaliste Claire Diao, la modératrice du Festival qui a fait la traduction (français-anglais).

La table ronde, « Écrans féminins–les réalisatrices en Afrique (Female Screens-Women filmmakers in Africa), a été animé par Dorothee Wenner. Beti Ellerson et June Givanni, Yaba Badoe, la productrice Chichi Uzuegbu et Georgette Paré, également présidente d'une société de casting et de communication, ont examiné les réalités et les enjeux actuels concernant les Africaines dans tous les domaines du cinéma.

Rapport par Beti Ellerson.

IN ENGLISH

Reflections on African women on, behind and in front of the screen

Reflections on African women on, behind and in front of the screen by Beti Ellerson*

African Women on, behind and in front of the Screen sketches in broad strokes, African women's engagement with the moving image as stakeholders and participants in both on-screen visual representation of women, and off-screen and behind-the-scene roles throughout and beyond the film production process. The first, on the screen, recalls the initial visual engagement with the film leaving the viewer to contemplate the actor’s role and the filmmaker’s intent. The second, behind the screen, conjures a team of film industry practitioners: screenwriter, director, cinematographer, crew, producer, editor, distributor, festival organiser and other professionals. And to propose a third, in front of the screen, as cultural reader, evoking a discerning audience and the film critic.

While African women as actors were not always embraced by their societies, especially during the nascent period of African cinema in the mid-1960s, they have been dedicated artists, playing an important role in the evolution of African cinema. Notably, pioneers Thérèse Mbissine Diop of Senegal (La Noire de…, 1966, Ousmane Sembene) and Zalika Souley of Niger (Le retour de l’Aventurier, 1966, Moustapha Alassane) who continue to be actively involved in African cinema initiatives, though in their personal lives during that period they experienced a great deal of difficulty being accepted, stigmatised by their on-screen characters, which often transgressed societal expectations. Nonetheless, actresses have been gradually accepted as artists, as African societies became more receptive to the moving image and recognised the role of African filmmakers as visual storytellers. Moreover they understood that films are doing important cultural work and may be used as a tool, both to visualise the society as it is, for better or for worse, and in a forward-thinking manner, as an idea, to envisage Africans as they would like to be.

While there is a more expansive range of roles for women, screen representations as a whole have yet to portray the full span of realistic representations of African women’s agency and the empowering experiences of their lives. Perhaps this tendency is due in part to the relatively small production of films from Africa—hence, the pool of subject matter is limited; as well as the growing popularity of films for entertainment or that are based on formulaic themes, none of which constructs the female character as a whole human being. Beyond these challenges, however, historically African women and many men have endeavoured to represent the woman as an agent of change and a source of empowerment, and as an active participant in the world, worthy of exploration and reflection.

A focus on women on the screen in many ways underpins a broader understanding of women’s roles behind the screen, as it is in this space that visual representations of women are constructed. Showing women as role models, leaders, mentors and decision-makers goes a long way in changing societal attitudes towards women, as well as expectations that they have of themselves and each other. This logic extends to a wide range of disciplines and fields, including cinema. While the actor is an important element of a film, women’s aspirations should not be confined only to acting. In the same way, women should not be channelled into specific professions within the filmmaking industry, as was the case several decades ago when women were funnelled into careers as film editor, and script supervisor, which until the 1950s was called “script girl”. Sarah Maldoror summons women’s participation in all areas of cinema, on the screen and behind the camera; similarly, Anne Mbaye d’Erneville invokes women to be witness to their own era and reflect realistic images of Africa in their work. And hence African women are called forth to be at the helm of creating discourse and visual representations of their own experiences.

These two grandes dames of African cinema (Diaspora filmmaker Maldoror and d’Erneville, Senegalese critic and organiser) attest to the fact that African women professionals of the moving image have long served as role models to the generation of women and men who have followed. In fact, a few African women arrived in the world of cinema before most of the male filmmakers who are now lauded for their pioneering roles, such as Thérèse Sita-Bella (1963) and Efua Sutherland (1967). Hence, from the embryonic period of African filmmaking in the early 1960s throughout the next four decades to the present, African women have forged their place, and are now firmly established on the cinematic landscape. Moreover, women were actively involved in the formation of a cinematic infrastructure on the continent in the late 1960s, notably the two emblematic pan-African film organisations FESPACO and FEPACI. And while their presence was less visible within the leadership ranks of film organisations during the following decades, in the early 1990s women-founded associations blossomed and have continued in full force to the present.

Initiatives such as film festivals, forums, conferences and symposiums perform an important role in informing the public about African women’s contributions and also serve as a space for sharing, allowing women to showcase their work and discuss issues that are important to them. In addition, it provides an environment for networking, to extend their efforts internationally for collaboration and partnership. These forums are also a space to cultivate a critical eye among the audience on the role of African women in cinema and the message that they are trying to convey in their works. From the vast span of the African continent and its transnational locations in the Diaspora, women, along with men, are using the screen as a point of convergence to show their stories about Africa and beyond, and as a visual space on which to interpret and analyse them.

Revised 05 January 2013, to include modification of title*

Afrikamera 2012 celebrates women | Afrikamera 2012 célèbre les femmes

Afrikamera celebrates women

From the interview with Afrikamera (Berlin) founder Alex Moussa Sawadogo. Source: ClapNoir by Gwénaëlle Deboutte (from French translated by Beti Ellerson)

Why did you choose the theme “Women on and behind the screen?”

The idea had been running through my mind for some time. For this 5th edition it was the moment to give homage to the African woman who has been fighting on all fronts. It was also the occasion to dispel the notion that the African woman is not active, less creative, without ambition. We have very good actresses, cineastes, producers, casting directors, editors, and who are in every sphere of the cinema industry. Women are as capable as men and all women throughout the world. From the very start of the festival the objective was to put women at the heart of the debate, rather than to organise a festival of women’s films; as the issues should be posed by men as well, in order to be able to juxtapose the two different perspectives. Moreover, we are not limited to traditional themes, such as the condition of women, liberation, excision. We are dealing with women at the core of artistic creation, political issues, world events and the future of Africa.

 

 ***

 

Afrikamera célèbre les femmes
Extrait d'entretien avec le fondateur d'Afrikamera (Berlin) Alex Moussa Sawadogo. ClapNoir: propos recueillis par Gwénaëlle Deboutte

Pourquoi avoir choisi ce thème « La femme, devant et derrière l’écran » ?

La question me trottait dans la tête depuis longtemps. Pour cette cinquième édition, il était donc temps de rendre grâce à cette femme africaine, qui se bat sur tous les fronts. C’était aussi l’occasion de battre en brèche l´idée selon laquelle cette femme africaine est oisive, moins créative et sans ambition. Nous avons de très bonnes comédiennes, des auteures, des productrices, des directrices de casting, des monteuses et dans tous les métiers du cinéma, les femmes sont autant capables que les hommes et les femmes de tous les continents. Mais dès le début, l’idée n’était pas de faire un festival de films de femmes mais plutôt un festival où la femme serait au cœur du débat. Mais la question doit aussi être posée par les hommes, pour confronter deux regards différents. De même, nous ne nous sommes pas restreints aux thèmes traditionnels, comme la condition de la femme, la liberté, l’excision. Nous traitons des femmes au cœur de la création artistique, des questions politiques, de l’actualité du monde et du futur l´Afrique. LIRE l'article en intégralité sur Clapnoir: http://www.clapnoir.org/spip.php?article887

AFRIKAMERA 2012: African women on and behind the screen (Berlin)

The fifth edition of AFRIKAMERA – CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN CINEMA (13-18 November 2012) the non-profit cultural charity toucouleur e.V. presents a selection of contemporary feature and documentary films from the new generation of "African women on and behind the screen".

The festival opens 13 November, with Sur la planche (On the Edge), the feature film debut of Moroccan director Leila Kilani (Morocco, France, Germany 2011).

Othelo Burning (South Africa 2012) is South African filmmaker Sara Blecher's debut movie, 14 Nov.

Indochine sur les traces de ma mere (Indochina, Traces of a Mother, France, Benin, Vietnam 2010) by Idrissou Mora Kpai, 14 Nov.

MOZAMBIQUE SHORTS (15 Nov) builds on the tradition from previous years, introducing film milieus from hitherto less known African states. Mozambican director and producer Mario Mickey Fonseca presents a program consisting of four short and medium length films.

Imani (Uganda, Sweden 2010)  by Caroline Kamya, 15 Nov. 

In a cooperation between Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and AFRIKAMERA, AFRICAN SISTERS OF THE SCREEN (15 Nov) presents a selection of short movies by African women about African women from Kenya, Cameroon, Tunisia, Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal. Directors Nadia Rais (Tunisia) and Angèle Diabang (Senegal) will attend, along with film scholar Beti Ellerson (USA):

FILM SELECTION:

Pumzi by Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya 2010), 22 min.

L’Ambouba by Nadia Rais (Tunesia 2009), 9 min.

Yasmine et la révolution by Karin Albou (Algeria/France 2011), 8 min.

La femme invisible (The invisible woman) by Pascale Obolo (Cameroon/France 2008), 8 min.

L’Mrayet by Nadia Rais (Tunisia 2012), 12 min.

Mon beau sourire (My Beautiful Smile) by Angèle Diabang (Senegal 2005), 5 min.

Tout le monde a des raisons d‘en vouloir à sa mère (Everyone has reasons to be angry with their mother) by Pauline Mulombe (the Democratic Republic of Congo 2009), 10 min.

Saturday (17 Nov) begins with a high-level panel discussion of the theme FEMALE SCREENS – WOMEN FILMMAKERS IN AFRICA, looking closer at the realities and perspectives of women filmmakers in the African film and creative industries. In cooperation with Deutschen Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Witches of Gambaga (Ghana 2010, 17 Nov) by Yaba Badoe

Ramata by Léandre-Alain Baker (Senegal 2011, 17 Nov)

Ici on noie les Algériens (Here we drown Algerians), October 17th, 1961 (Algeria, France 2011, 18 Nov)

Filmmaker Remi Vaughan-Richards presents: One Small Step (Nigeria 2010, 18 Nov) and Scents of the Streets (Nigeria 2010, 18 Nov)

The closing event of AFRIKAMERA is Une femme pas comme les autres (An uncommon woman, Burkina Faso 2008) by Abdoulaye Dao. Lead character, Georgette Paré, will attend the screening, 18 Nov.

The  WORKSHOP "WEDDING ! AFRIKANISCHE SPURENSUCHE“, will take place parallel to the festival with Angèle Diabang.