Todd Haynes Set To Be Jury President Of Berlinale 2025
The US-American director, screenwriter and producer, Todd Haynes, will be President of the International Jury of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. “Todd Haynes is a dazzlingly gifted writer and director with an impressive range; his body of work is at once stylistically versatile but also unmistakably his. Ever since his debut feature Poison won the Teddy Award in 1991, the Berlinale has followed and loved his filmmaking, and we are overjoyed to have him join the festival as the President of the International Jury for our 75th edition,” says Berlinale Director, Tricia Tuttle. Over nearly 40 years, Todd Haynes has been one of the most bold and distinctive filmmaking voices in US-American cinema, beloved for his great sensitivity in exploring the interior worlds of outsiders and women, and his fascinating investigations into gender and identity. His skill at creating complex characters has attracted many of the world’s finest actors. Stars such as Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kate Winslet, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman, Mark Ruffalo, Christian Bale and Ewan McGregor have played the multi-layered characters in his films. Todd Haynes’ films and their actors have won awards at numerous international film festivals. Emerging into international prominence in the early 1990s as part of a thrilling new generation of US American directors (dubbed, New Queer Cinema, by critic B. Ruby Rich), by the time of his four-time Oscar nominated film, Far from Heaven (2002), Haynes was fully established as a major force in US filmmaking. His feature film debut Poison received the Teddy Award, the queer film prize at the Berlinale, in 1991, and won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Other key works include Safe (1995), Velvet Goldmine (1998), the fictional Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There (2007), which won the Grand Jury Prize in Venice.
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Entry Open For Africa Creative Blueprint, Deadline December 15
THE Africa Creative Blueprint (ACB) is now receiving submissions from both emerging and professional creatives- Directors, Writers, Producers, Production Coordinators/Managers, Actors/Actresses, Editors, Cinematographers, Production Designers, Costume Designers, Sound Designers, Assistant Directors, Accountants, Music Professionals, Lawyers, Production Finance Professionals, all over Nigeria. ACB is a transformative initiative by Ascend Studios, in partnership with USAID, to empower 3,500 emerging and professional talents across Nigeria. ACB offers innovative, hands-on training to elevate Africa’s creative economy. Upon completion, 200 skilled participants will join the production of a 13-episode TV drama, creating over 200 full-time and part-time jobs during production. Other partners include Venture Garden Group, the renowned Ralph Simon, and Paramount Nigeria—leaders committed to reshaping Africa’s creative landscape. According to Ascend Studios, the virtual and in-Person training will take place across six cities — Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Kano, Benin, and Asaba. Speaking on the initiative USAID Nigeria Mission Director, Melissa Jones remarked, “the U.S. government is eager to enhance Nigeria’s capacity as a leading player in the creative economy and encourage global partnerships. This partnership will create a stream of high-quality, commercially viable content that can compete on the world stage.” CEO of Ascend Studios Inya Lawal also said “We are honored to be selected as the recipient of USAID funding. This collaboration represents a milestone for the Nigerian creative sector and opens opportunities for us to elevate African stories on a global platform. Through this initiative, we are building the infrastructure needed to develop world-class creative talent capable of transforming the industry.”
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Kano Set To Host KILAF 2024
ALL is set for the 7th edition of the Kano Indigenous Languages of Africa Film Market and Festival (KILAF). The festival opens on November 25, and will close on November 30, 2024. Films from over 66 countries will feature at the festival whose jury is chaired by Professor Emmanuel Emasealu. Founder and Chief Executive of KILAF, a yearly film event aimed at promoting indigenous language films from the African continent and encouraging their cross-border sales Abdulkareem Mohammed hinted that the five-day event will feature various activities promoting interactive engagements, including a welcome dinner hosted by the Governor of Kano State, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf. Additionally, there will be a KILAF ’24 Conference with the theme: “Forging Cultural Identity in a Multilingual Africa: The Role of Indigenous Language Films,” in collaboration with the Faculty of Communication, Bayero University. There will be panels and master classes and ‘Women in Media Business Summit ‘to be chaired by the Minister of Culture, Arts and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa.

African Indigenous Language Film Festival To Hold December 12
THE 2024 edition of the African Indigenous Language Film Festival (Ailff’24) will hold as from December 12th to 14th in Asaba, Delta State. The festival was earlier scheduled to hold for three days from November 20. Festival founder Osezua Stephen Imobhio disclosed that the Pan African film festival which debuted in Lagos in 2023 had to be moved forward because of logistical issues. Osezua disclosed that the issues have been addressed and that the coastal film city of Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria will play host to the festival as from December 12. According to Osezua, this year’s festival centers around the theme “Showcasing Africa’s Cultural and Tourism Riches Through Filmmaking.”
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