Dates For Zuma Film Festival 2023 Announced
Dates for the 2023 edition of Nigeria’s foremost film festival; Zuma Film Festival (ZUFF) has been announced. The festival, which has continued to witness massive domestic, continental and global participation as well as attendance over the years especially since it started holding annually from 2017, will take place from December 1 through to 10 in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital and the official host city. ZUMA Film Festival 2023, will be the second in the series of a 10-year collaborative partnership for the joint hosting of the annual film event by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC). Themed “Cultural Convergence”, the festival will focus on harnessing potentials and opportunities inherent in the convergence of diverse cultures of the world through the audio-visual medium. The festival will feature daily film screening, film master classes, symposia, film and television market, content creation and exhibition fora, film project pitching sessions, co-production engagements, annual film lecture, states and foreign nations (Embassy/High Commission) special days; special lifetime tributes, Zuma awards; and the second leg of the Nigeria – South Africa Film Festival. The first leg, known as the South Africa-Nigeria Film Festival will take place during the 44th edition of Durban Film Festival/Film Mart Institute, scheduled for July 20 through to July 30. Speaking on plans for a successful outing for ZUMA, NFC’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Chidia Madueke, on behalf of the Corporation and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) says that efforts in mounting a successful Zuma film festival 2023, are in top gear, given the successful outing of 2022, and the global importance of such an activity. Maduekwe assured that both the FCTA and the NFC are committed to mounting an impactful ZUFF 2023, whose preparations, including invitations to potential sponsors and partners are being sustained. According to Maduekwe, ZUFF 2023, the 13th in the series will among others, provide a platform for the recognition of Nigerian film makers who have or are adding the needed value to the development of the art and business of filmmaking. The MD hinted that the call for entries, and mode of submission of film entries will soon be made public.  

Durban FilmMart Institute Announces Talents Durban Project Selection 2023
The Durban FilmMart Institute (DFMI) has unveiled the lineup of participants for the anticipated 16th edition of Talents Durban. As the African satellite programme of the Berlin International Film Festival and Berlinale Talents, Talents Durban forms an integral part of the DFMI’s portfolio. “Working in collaboration with partners to develop platforms that can significantly grow the film industry is at the heart of DFMI,” says Magdalene Reddy, Director of the Durban FilmMart Institute. “Now entering its 16th year, the 2023 edition of Talents Durban promises to unite emerging participants from across the continent, whose work not only stands out for its level of excellence but also reflects the new voices rising out of Africa.”  This year, Talents Durban introduces Francophone projects from the African diaspora as it continues to inspire a sense of community on the continent by representing many languages and cultures. After a meticulous adjudication process, 19 projects and 4 film critics from 15 countries across Africa made the final selection, including 4 fiction features, 3 episodic works, 3 animations, 5 documentaries and 4 fiction short films. The diversity of talent in the programme showcases the immense potential of African filmmaking and film criticism on a global scale. The Talents will participate in several project-oriented, hands-on skills development programmes. Practical sessions within Talents Durban include Story Junction, in which they present their projects to producers and financiers, masterclasses and one-on-one mentorship. The 2023 mentors working with this year’s Talents include: Mounia Aram, Azza Chaabouni, Iman Djionne, Sean Drummond, Mandla Dube, Yanis Gaye, Wilfred Okiche, Domoina Ratsara, Miki Redelinghuys and Ramadan Suleman. Participants include Joash Omondi (Kenya) – Jua Kali – Director & Screenwriter and Kaelo Iyizoba (Nigeria) – A Nollywood Story – Director & Screenwriter for the fiction feature category, Camélia Gadhgadhi (Algeria) – Bitter Seed – Director and Ntombizodwa Masuku (Zimbabwe) – Half A Tribe – Director & Screenwriter for the documentary category and Gaël Hounkpatin (Benin) – Film Critic & Journalist and Seyi Lasisi (Nigeria) – Film Critic & Journalist for the talent press category. For further details about the Talents, please visit the following link: https://www.berlinale-talents.de/bt/find/talent

June Is Last Month Of Submission For AMAA 2023 Entries
Entries for the 2023 edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) is open until June 30 2023. The organizers also stated that the nominations for this year’s AMAA will be announced in August 2023, while only films produced and released between January 2022 and 30th May 2023 should be submitted. The 19th edition of the AMAA’s will be held on October 29, 2023 in Lagos in partnership with the Lagos State Government and will be televised globally. Information on the entry criteria can be sourced at www.ama-awards.com