East African filmmakers in the spotlight at Kigali festival

  • last month

Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English

Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Transcript
00:00Kigali Cine Junction Festival is turning the streets of Kigali into one giant cinema.
00:06The second edition of this event is bringing together artists and professionals from the
00:11region including Kenyans, Ugandans and Nigerians.
00:15Filmmakers and actors from the Rwandan diaspora are back home to meet the public since the
00:20screenings will mostly be held outdoors.
00:23The organizers' goal is to make cinema more accessible as Rwandans visit cinemas quite
00:28rarely.
00:29Lukman Ali, Ugandan filmmaker, believes Kigali has a huge potential for the art form.
00:35I actually feel like Kigali is probably going to be the cinema hub for the region in the
00:41coming years because I feel like the speed at which everything is moving is quite big.
00:48You can even set up this event here.
00:49I don't think you'd be able to do this in Kampala for example.
00:53But it feels like there's a lot of support for the art community which is a good thing
00:57and I think that's what all of us need in the whole East Africa.
01:02We need this kind of energy.
01:04The opening film was Banel and Adama by Franco Senegalese filmmaker Ramata Tulaisi.
01:11Also on the program is Omen, a feature film by Belgian-Congolese writer-director Balogi,
01:16an award winner at Cannes.
01:18The festival program focuses on the aesthetics and particularities of African cinema through
01:24four days of screenings but also discussions and workshops with filmmakers.
01:29The organizers say they want to transform original cinema into a more popular art and
01:35also establish the country of a thousand hills and its capital, Kigali, as an essential meeting
01:41place for African filmmakers.