African Cinema Set to Shine at Berlin Film Festival, but Continent’s Moviemakers Insist ‘There’s Always Room for More’
variety.comChristopher Vourlias Africa’s growing screen industries are making their mark on the global stage, with three titles in the main competition at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, but how to unlock the continent’s still-untapped potential was a question on the minds of many at a conference hosted on Saturday by the European Film Market.
A partnership between EFM and Prudence Kolong’s Stockholm-based consulting firm Yanibes, AfroBerlin was launched to give a platform to filmmakers from Africa and the diaspora and “to find a place where they can share stories and experiences and be heard,” said Kolong, who also organizes the Cannes Film Festival’s AfroCannes industry showcase.
The event brought together industry professionals from the continent with their counterparts in Europe and beyond, underscoring the ways in which the often-marginalized African screen industries have elevated their international profile. “When we’re talking about the global film market…we are part of the discussion,” Kolong said. “People are thirsty to know more about African stories.” This year marks an auspicious Berlinale for filmmakers from the continent, with veteran Mauritanian-Malian auteur Abderrahmane Sissako’s “Black Tea” and French-Senegalese director Mati Diop’s “Dahomey” both bowing in the main competition, alongside Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias’s “Pepe,” a co-production between the Dominican Republic, Namibia and Germany.
The jury, meanwhile, is headed by actor Lupita Nyong’o, who was raised in Kenya and whose ascent to A-list status in Hollywood is a source of pride and inspiration for many up-and-coming African talents.
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