THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
The 25th edition of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (Fespaco) opened on Saturday, 25 February in the capital city of Burkina Faso.
The theme of this year’s festival is “Training in Cinema and Audiovisual Trades”.
Fespaco is one of the biggest film events on the African continent and it brings together African and international professionals and festival-goers from all over the world to communicate, to build relationships, to exchange expertise and to reinvent themselves.
The biannual event, which ends on 4 March, features various film competitions to demonstrate the level of expertise and excellence in the continent’s cinema.
Fespaco is also a big-audience cultural event, with thousands of festival-goers not only given a rare opportunity to see lots of African film but also enjoy other activities that make the biannual festival popular around the world.
The Étalon de Yennenga (Golden Yennenga Stallion) is awarded as the first prize at the Pan-African Film and Television Festival, whose stated aim is to “contribute to the expansion and development of African cinema as means of expression, education and awareness-raising”.
Twenty films from 14 countries have been selected for the official competition in the feature film category this year.
Burkina Faso has the largest number of film entries. Côte d’Ivoire, which is the guest country of honour, Morocco and Algeria follow with two films each.
The other countries that will participate with one film each include Cameroon, Niger, Ghana, Mali, Guadeloupe, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania.
Taroudante (“Fever”), a film by Moroccan director Hicham Ayouch, won the Golden Stallion award in 2015.
Vivian Asamoah
Feature Films selected for the Golden Yennenga Stallion competition:
– “A mile in my shoes” by Saïd Khallaf (Morocco)
– “Aisha” by Chande Omar (Tanzania)
– “A la recherche du pouvoir perdu” by Mohammed Ahed Bensouda (Morocco)
– “Félicité” by Alain Formose Gomis (Senegal)
– “Fre” by Kinfe Banbu (Ethiopia)
– “Frontières” by Appolline Woye Traoré (Burkina Faso)
– “Innocent malgré tout” by Kouamé Jean De Dieu Konan/ Kouamé Mathurin Samuel Codjovi (Côte d’Ivoire)
– “L’interprète” by Olivier Meliche Koné (Côte d’Ivoire)
– “L’orage africain – Un continent sous influence” by Sylvestre Amoussou (Benin)
– “La forêt du Niolo” by Adama Roamba (Burkina Faso)
– “Le gang des Antillais” by Jean Claude Barny (Guadeloupe)
– “Le puits” by Lotfi Bouchouchi (Algeria)
– “Les Tourments” by Sidali Fettar (Algeria)
– “Life point” by Brice Achille (Cameroun)
– “Lilia, une fille tunisienne” by Mohamed Zran (Tunisia)
– “Praising the Lord plus one” by Kwaw Paintsil Ansah (Ghana)
– “The lucky specials” by Rea Rangaka (South Africa)
– “Thom” by Tahirou Tasséré Ouédraogo (Burkina Faso)
– “Wùlu” by Daouda Coulibaly (Mali)
– “Zin’naariya !” by Rahmatou Kéïta (Niger)
