From October 23 to 26, 2024, the international film festival Cinéma Africain!, which is dedicated to African filmmaking, will take place for the first time in Linz. Curator Sandra Krampelhuber writes about the background of the film festival organized by Jaapo – for the participation of women of color . She also spoke to Nadia Denton about the meaning and background of African film festivals.
When asked whether his films were understood in Europe, one of the founding fathers of African cinema, the Senegalese author and filmmaker Ousmane Sembene, replied with these words: “To be clear. Europe is not my centre. Europe is on the edge of Africa. After 100 years here, do they speak my language? I speak theirs. My future does not depend on Europe. I would be happy if they understood me, but that makes no difference. Take the map of Africa, put Europe and America together, and there is still room left. Why be a sunflower and turn towards the sun? I myself am the sun!”
In his statement, Sembene makes clear the criticism of the Eurocentric view. By describing Europe as peripheral, he reverses the usual balance of power and places Africa at the centre. This perspective challenges the Western world to no longer see Africa as “the other”, but as an equal counterpart with a rich culture and history.
Even today, the West is still far from accepting this challenge, which is why we want to further sharpen this adjusted view with the international film festival Cinéma Africain!, which will take place for the first time in Linz from October 23 to 26, 2024. The festival – organized with Jaapo – for the participation of women of color – is dedicated to African filmmaking and aims to open up new perspectives on the continent and its diaspora for the audience in Linz, show a young and dynamic Africa, break down stereotypes and contribute to a better understanding of the continent. The program includes contemporary feature films and documentaries from various African countries as well as works by African filmmakers from the diaspora. International directors will be guests in Linz.
The desire and idea to bring African cinema to Linz in a festival format did not arise overnight. Film programs with a focus on Africa have been an integral part of many of my previous cultural formats, including in 2015 in the Stadtwerkstatt’s film days of the same name. My own journey into the world of film began 20 years ago with a stay in Jamaica and a low-budget film production about women in reggae and dancehall culture. I had little practical knowledge, but a lot of cultural theory and the constant urge to question one-sided Western views and place them in a global context. Film seemed to me the ideal medium for this. Further film productions in Ghana and Senegal followed, as did many festival participations in Europe, Africa and the USA, on which my current network of international filmmakers and film experts with a focus on films from Africa and the African diaspora is based. Being a guest at these festivals myself and getting to know their dynamics from the inside showed me the valuable synergies they offer not only for the audience, but also for filmmakers. One of these contacts was the British film expert Nadia Denton. As a film curator, author and producer, she has specialized in the promotion and distribution of films from Africa and the African diaspora and has increased the visibility of African and Afro-diasporic filmmakers. She was also the one who discovered my first film and gave me the confidence to continue. Since then, we have been working together for many years in different cultural areas. Nadia Denton will also be present at Cinéma Africain! and will enrich us with her knowledge and experience alongside international filmmakers.
For the speaker, we talked about the importance and background of African film festivals:
Sandra Krampelhuber: As a film industry expert, with a strong focus on the cinema of the African diaspora as well as the Nigerian film industry, how would you define the general term African cinema?
Nadia Denton: I would describe it as cinematic forms that have emerged on the African continent, although I think in some contexts it could also describe content inspired by Africa or the African diaspora. In this day and age, I think it is more helpful to place the presentation of content from Africa in a specific regional context, as there is such a diversity of experiences in the region and the name tag “Africa” is by no means a one-size-fits-all.
SK: What do you think is the most important impact of African film festivals on the global perception of African cinema and cultures?
ND: The international network of African film festivals has helped to keep this film culture alive and give filmmakers a sense of the value of their work, which is priceless and means that as a film industry we are creating value for generations to come. I think the structural hierarchy in the industry means that African films that are shown at A-list film festivals like Cannes, Berlinale and Sundance get more attention than if they were shown at an African film festival. The latter often struggle with limited financial resources and are therefore unable to achieve such a wide publicity and marketing impact. My impression is therefore that African film festivals perhaps have more influence on their local environment than on global perception; this is important in a context where the local so easily overlaps with the global thanks to social media.
SK: Can African film festivals in the Western Hemisphere and a small town like Linz challenge and reshape existing narratives and stereotypes about Africa and the African diaspora? Can such film events influence their audiences?
ND: Absolutely, such an event can have a massive impact and enable local audiences to empathize with other cultural narratives and develop a better understanding of the humanity of the societies portrayed, which is overall incredibly enriching and can ultimately lead to cognitive shifts. I am convinced that it is important to start small, at the local level, and build a lobby in the communities that empowers audiences to spread some of the subtle messages they have learned from the films they have seen.
SK: And how do you think African film festivals can contribute to the process of decolonization; what impact do they have in challenging colonial narratives and promoting diverse African perspectives?
ND: By showing content that challenges perceptions of European/Western cultural dominance, African film festivals contribute to a process of decolonization. Everything a film festival does, from marketing that represents African culture with dignity, to showcasing speakers of African descent who can narrate from unique perspectives, to simply documenting the event in institutions that may have a colonial legacy, is part of the broader effort to decolonize.
The decolonization of African film is an ongoing process that goes far beyond individual festivals. It requires a continuous engagement with the structures of the global film industry, the promotion, production and distribution of African films, as well as well-founded reflection on the way in which African cinema is presented and received in the global north. The Cinéma Africain! festival is an attempt to participate in this process as one of many pieces of the puzzle. By not only showing African films, but also creating spaces for discussion and encounters through accompanying talks, a master class and Q&A sessions with invited filmmakers, Cinéma Africain! opens up an opportunity for critical discourse on post-colonial issues, the challenges of the African film industry and the representation of African stories. From intimate portraits to socially critical documentaries, the festival offers a comprehensive insight into the diverse realities and artistic expressions of the continent and its diaspora and addresses topics such as mythology, identity, colonialism, feminism and coming of age, which are particularly illuminated through the narratives and perspectives of women*.”
The international festival Cinéma Africain! is organized with the association Jaapo – for the participation of women of color.
www.jaapo.at
www.cinema-africain.at
Festival Venues: Moviemento Kino Linz, Salon Fiftitu%, University of Art and Design Linz, Solaris, Stadtwerkstatt.
The Festival Nightline on October 26, 2024 will take place in cooperation with the Stadtwerkstatt.
Sandra Krampelhuber is the initiator and programme manager of Cinéma Africain!. Filmmaker, festival curator and cultural manager. Her works include the festivals Afropea Now!/Stadtwerkstatt (2014), Cinéma Africain Filmdays/Stadtwerkstatt (2015), African Futurisms (2018)/Stadtwerkstatt, Unruly Thoughts – on feminisms and beyond (2022)/Fiftitu%, as well as the documentaries Queens of Sound – A Herstory of Reggae and Dancehall (2006), 100% Dakar – more than art (2014), Accra Power (2016) and Mane (2020).
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