Obasi, others selected for realness African Screenwriters’ Residency

Six Africans, among them Nigerian filmmaker, C.J Obasi (best known for Ojuju and ‘O’Town), have been selected for this year’s Realness African Screenwriters’ Residency. The eight-week programme will see them in South Africa and Switzerland for mentorship and support to nurture and grow their feature film projects in development. C.J Obasi got the residency invitation with Nri. The other African talents invited for this edition, which holds from August 3 to September 24, 2022 are Ahmad Mahmoud with Specters of Alhoot (Sudan), Jabu Nadia Newman with For Our Mother (South Africa), Lara Sousa with Nzuzu (Mozambique), Sandulela Asanda with Umthwalo (South Africa) and Youssef Michraf with Sweet Disposition (Morocco). The residency is an incubator for African screenwriters that provide personalised support to empower writers to find the core of their stories and flesh them out into screenplays, and to pitch their projects to industry partners for financing and production. For 2022, Realness has partnered with Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. This partnership means the filmmakers will attend the creative incubation programme, Basecamp, from August 3 to 13, 2022. In addition, Kantarama Gahigiri, a screenwriters’ residency alumnus from the 2018 cohort, will attend the Locarno Filmmakers Academy, as last year Realness Residency did not happen due to the pandemic. The scriptwriters will then take up residence at Nirox and Farmhouse 58, for six weeks.

There, story consultants, Ayanda Halimana and Mmabatho Kau, and Creative Producer, Cait Pansegrouw, will mentor them. “Our programme provides the physical space (and time with no pressure) for African filmmakers to really dig deep into their craft to develop their story ideas. By working together yet focused on their own stories the filmmakers are able to nurture and support each other, giving authentic African voices to these ideas,” explains Cait Pansegrouw, co-founder and Director of Artistic Operations at the Realness Institute.  Following the residency, the promising projects will be awarded participation in the prestigious La Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde in Cannes, receive an EAVE Producers’ Workshop partial Scholarship, invitation to TorinoFilmLab Meetings Event and Locarno Filmmakers Academy. Follow information on Realness on Twitter @rlnsinstitute.

Berlinale Shorts At International Film Festival in Xining, China
THE Berlinale Spotlight, an extension of the main festival period, which makes Berlinale activities visible throughout the year, will, for the first time, present a programme of short films at First International Film Festival in China (July 27 to August 4, 2022) entitled, Berlinale Spotlight: Berlinale Shorts. Founded in 2006 and held yearly in Xining, Qinghai Province, this film festival focuses on discovering and promoting emerging talents in China. It is an internationally respected platform for up-and-coming filmmakers and promotes exchange between film art and the film industry. Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck, head of Berlinale Shorts, is delighted: “I am pleased about our new collaboration with First International Film Festival. The festival promotes some very interesting cinematic voices from China, such as Zhang Dalei, who won the Silver Bear – Jury Prize (Short Film) at the Berlinale 2021 with his film Day Is Done.” A total of 10 short films that premiered at the Berlinale over the last three years will be presented in two programmes. Films slated for programme one include Histoire pour 2 Trompettes (A Story for 2 Trumpets) by Amandine Meyer, France, and Xia Wu Guo Qu Le Yi Ban (Day Is Done) by Zhang Dalei, People’s Republic of China, while the films for programme two include Ventana (Window) by Edgar Jorge Baralt, USA, Zonder Meer by Meltse Van Coillie, Belgium, and One Hundred Steps by Bárbara Wagner, Benjamin de Burca, Germany / France.

NFC Ready To Partner LAFAAAC On Capacity Building  
THE Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) says it is ready to partner the Franco-Anglophone Academy of Arts and Culture (LAFAAAC) in the provision of training opportunities to Nigerian creatives, through its training arm the National Film Institute (NFI), Jos, Plateau State. This was revealed by Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, NFC’s Managing Director at a meeting between officials of the both institutions. The MD commended the efforts of the French Government and its agencies for developing exceptional interest and commitment in supporting Nigerian creative, entertainment and learning institutions. Maduekwe stated that LAFAAAC’s invitation to the NFC to explore wider training opportunities for Nigerians was apt, desirable and achievable. “The NFC, through its training arm – the NFI has undergone great transformation to be able to support and undertake the training initiatives and modules of LAFAAAC” the MD said adding that some of the transformation includes the expansion of its academic curriculum, and the master degree programme in Film Culture & Archival Studies being run in collaboration with other Nigerian and German academic institutions. Earlier, Mr. Pascal Olivier said that LAFAAAC commenced its training programmes in 2019, offering innovative and mobile app training courses for upcoming and creative professionals, with focus on empowerment, entrepreneurship and leverages on its blended learning approach to address the challenges of access to quality of education for Africans.