Showing posts with label Tarifa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tarifa. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

The Best Films from Africa and its Diasporas Come to the 19th Edition of the Tarifa African Film Festival

The Best Films from Africa and its Diasporas Come to the 19th Edition of the Tarifa African Film Festival

This event will be held from 27 May to 3 June in the Andalusian town of Tarifa, a cross-border town between Morocco and Spain.

The opening film is the Nigerien film Walking on Water, the closing film is the Somali film The Gravedigger's Wife.

Tarifa, May 2022. The Tarifa African Film Festival celebrates its 19th edition with an official session made up of films from Tunisia, Sao Tome and Principe, Ethiopia, Egypt, Benin, Reunion, Rwanda, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, French Guiana, Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, Madagascar and Angola, as well as two major retrospectives, one dedicated to the links between cinema and literature and the other focusing on the Egyptian filmmaker Atteyat Al Abnoudy.

The two great retrospectives of the Tarifa African Film Festival

The big bet of this edition will be Entre la tinta y la pantalla, a parallel section that delves into the relationship between literature and cinema, through sixteen titles produced from the 1960s to the present day that cover countries such as Senegal, Mozambique, South Africa, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Angola, Morocco and Afro-Cuban descent. Among the filmmakers present in this section, some historical ones stand out, such as Ousmane Sembène (Senegal), Med Hondo (Mauritania) or Djibril Diop Mambéty (Senegal); as well as other contemporary ones, such as Dani Kouyaté (Burkina Faso) or Mariano Bartolomeu (Angola), among others. As for literary authors, we find classics such as Naguib Mahfuz (Egypt), an emblematic figure of the new Arab novel, Abdoulaye Mamani (Níger), Moussa Diagana (Mauritania), Assia Djebar (Algeria, literary pseudonym of Fatema Zohra), Malek Alloula (Algeria) and Mia Couto (Mozambique), one of today's most important authors. 

The FCAT dedicates a major retrospective to the Egyptian filmmaker Atteyat Al Abnoudy (1939-2018), considered the "mother of the Egyptian documentary" and one of the pioneering directors in the Arab world. Nicknamed "filmmaker of the poor", her decision to film people in a daily life of hard work and precariousness was a scandal at a time when film was perceived as a propaganda weapon by the authorities. 

FCAT official sessions: 20 titles from 18 African countries

The African presence at the major international festivals provided a great harvest of films from the continent. The official feature film section of the FCAT, called Hypermetropia, offers films from Rwanda, Tunisia, Egypt, Haiti, Mali, Benin, Reunion, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and, for the first time, a film from Sao Tome. 

The ten titles in Hypermetropia are among the most daring on a formal level and imbued with great visual poetry. Most of them are works by young filmmakers, films that dialogue with each other on the issues of exile, from the dream of an idealised place (Faya Dayi, by Jessica Beshir, Ethiopia) to the uprooting, the violence of the host country (Lèv la tèt dann fenwar, by Erika Étangsalé, La Réunion). Another theme is the struggle for dignity (Xaraasi Xanne, by Malians Bouba Touré and Raphaël Grisey). 

Films that propose a representation of women far from clichés (Black Medusa, by Ismaël and Youssouf Chebbi, Tunisia), of their emancipation and empowerment (Feathers, by Omar El Zohairy, Egypt) and (Freda, by Gessica Géneus, a film from Haiti and Benin), but also highlighting the necessary liberation of men from their own mental shackles (Une histoire d'amour et désir, by Tunisian Leyla Bouzid).

Films that revisit the traumas and forgotten episodes of history (the documentary Constelaçoes do Equador, by Silas Tiny, the first film from Sao Tome and Principe in the FCAT); a portrait of the concerns and aspirations of youth (Nous, étudiants! by Rafiki Fariala, from the Central African Republic); or the screening of an Afrofuturist, anti-colonialist, anti-capitalist and queer vision of the continent (Neptune Frost, by Rwandans Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman). 

África en breve, the competitive short film section continues to be an incubator of talent on the African continent, with titles dealing with colonial violence (Écoutez le battement de nos images, by Audrey & Maxime Jean-Baptiste, French Guiana), colonial representation (Kapita, by Petna Ndaliko, Democratic Republic of Congo) and resistance to colonial domination (Mangrove School, by Filipa César & Sónia Vaz Borges, Guinea Bissau, Portugal).

Also, the violence of war (Vou Mudar a Cozinha, by Ondjaki, Angola), gender violence (Imuhira, by Myriam Uwiragiye, Rwanda) and (Microbus, by Maggie Kamal, Egypt); the emotional violence of leaving childhood (Astel, by Ramata-Toulaye, Senegal) and the violence of exile and uprooting (Egúngún, by Olive Nwosu, Nigeria). Comedy is also present in this selection, through the meta-cinema in an international premiere (The Unusual Kinky Quaint Peculiar Weird Strange Rum Queer Odd and Bizarre Day of a Shadow Man, by Hary Joel, French Guiana) or magical realism (Precious Hair & Beauty, by John Ogunmuyiwa).

Additionally, outside the official competition is La tercera raíz, a section dedicated to Afro-descendants. The 19th edition of the festival will be dominated by films from the Dominican Republic, where the cultural legacy of Africa is present in all areas of people’s life. 

The opening and closing film of the 19th edition of the festival 

The opening film of this year's festival, the documentary Marcher sur l'eau (Aïssa Maïga, 2021), a co-production between Niger and France, is set in the village of Tatiste in Niger, where Houlaye, a 14-year-old teenager, and other children travel kilometres to fetch the water the village needs to survive. The closing film, The gravedigger's wife (Khadar Ayderus Ahmed, 2021), a Somali film presented at the Cannes Critics' Week, will be screened on Friday, 3 June, after the prize-giving ceremony of the 19th FCAT. A tender portrait of an African couple facing a health problem. 

The poster, the work of the Italian-Senegalese artist Maïmouna Guerresi 

This year's poster was created by Maïmouna Guerresi, an Italian-Senegalese multimedia artist whose work is steeped in Sufi spirituality. The work, which belongs to her series Aïsha in Wonderland, brings a feminine energy to this powerful image that alludes to "cultural and spiritual crossbreeding".

Industry and training at FCAT

The FCAT LAB post-production workshop, which offers support for featured films from Africa in the form of prizes, will once again be active at this year's edition. The FCAT LAB 2022 will take place in online format as part of the actions programmed in the Tree of Words, the space dedicated to the professional and training activities of the African Film Festival-FCAT. 

For its part, the Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA) will organise a showcase in Tarifa, where five Spanish companies representing post-production services will present themselves to African producers and directors both in person and via streaming. 

The Aula de cine will also take place, under the title Relatos ensoñados. El arte narrativo en los cines africanos, an in-depth course on the evolution and characteristics of African cinema, given by the programmer and film critic Javier H. Estrada (Spain). All the filmmakers that will be analysed in the Aula share an iconoclastic spirit, authentic aesthetic renovators who also observed the realities of their countries with a profoundly critical eye. During four sessions, cinematographies such as those of Mali, Egypt, Tunisia and Angola will be addressed, highlighting their past and present relevance.

The Festival de Cine Africano-FCAT is the most important film festival of the continent and of African descent in the Spanish-speaking world and has a film collection of more than a thousand titles translated into Spanish.

DOWNLOAD IMAGES 

For more information you can contact the communication office: 

Marta Jiménez: gabineteprensa@fcat.es

Valeria Reyes: comunicacion3@fcat.es


                             



Sunday, June 19, 2011

Egyptian feature wins best film award at 8th Tarifa

Microphone - Official Trailer from Ahmad on Vimeo.



Egyptian Ahmad Abdalla’s “Microphone” has won the 15 000 € best feature-length movie award at the 8th African Film Festival of Tarifa (FCAT) held from June 11th to the 19th, 2011, in Tarifa, Spain.


Ahmad Abdalla

148 African movies from 23 African countries competed for 8 awards with a total 46 500 € cash prizes.

The jury said “Microphone” won “for its energy and shedding of light on the potential of the new Egypt and also because it reflects the role of art in political and social change."

"Microphone" was the winner of the coveted "Golden Tanit" Award of the official competition of feature films at the 23rd edition of Carthage Film Festival which was held in Tunis from October 23 to 31, 2010 and the movie was in the Official selection of the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival (Vanguard Program), Official selection of the 2010 Vancouver International Film Festival and Official Competition of the Dubai International Film Festival in 2010.



Synopsis: A bold example of new north African cinema, "Microphone" mixes and remixes fiction and cinema verité as it follows an Egyptian expatriate's return to Alexandria, where he dives into a thriving underground music and arts scene. [Synopsis courtesy Toronto International Film Festival]

The details of the 8th African Film Festival of Tarifa (FCAT) are in the following press release.

The Awards of 8th African Film Festival Of Tarifa

June 19th, Tarifa, Spain – 8th African Film Festival of Tarifa (FCAT) awarded eight new African movies with awards endowed with 46 500 euros. The festival jury selected winners from more than 140 movies from 23 African countries.

1. The award for the best feature-length movie (15 000 €) goes to “MICROPHONE” (Ahmad Abdalla, Egypt)for its energy and shedding of light on the potential of the new Egypt and also because it reflects the role of art in political and social change.

2. The award for the best direction (10 000 €) goes to “A JAMA” (Daoud Aoulad-Syad, Morocco/France) for its naturalistic use of non-professional actors. Furthermore, the film found a way to speak about the taboo topic of religion with sensitivity and humour.

3. The award for the best actress (1 500 €) goes to DENISE NEWMAN for “SHIRLEY ADAMS” (Oliver Hermanus, South Africa). The actress is believable in her complex, sober and sombre portrayal of the film character. With her construction of the character she was able to access the most essential core of humanity.

4. The award for the best actor (1 500 €) goes to YOUSSOUF DJAORO for “UN HOMME QUI CRIE” (Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Chad/France/Belgium). The actor’s portrayal is very charismatic and tender. It truly shows his mastery of the artform.

5. The award for the best documentary feature film (10 000 €) goes to “KOUNDI ET LE JEUDI NATIONAL” (Ariani Astrid Atodji, Cameroon) for his rigorous and tender look at the subject matter, which highlights the great opportunities that traditional cultures offer to Africa’s future.

6. The award for the best short movie (2 000 €) goes to “MWANSA THE GREAT” (Rungano Nyoni, Zambia/UK) for its ability to draw us into a child’s imagination and the world of magic, combining courage and talent.

7. The RTVA award for Audiovisual Creation, the best short film award (1 500 €) goes to “MWANSA THE GREAT” (Rungano Nyoni, Zambia/UK) for having been able to portray the noble nature of characters whose actions are imbued with a sense of social responsibility. The story is a metaphor of a certain social reality in a specific part of the world.

8. The audience award for the best feature length movie (5 000 €) goes to “UN HOMME QUI CRIE” (Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Chad/France/Belgium).

9. The SIGNIS award for the best fiction feature film goes to “A JAMA” (Daoud Aoulad-Syad, Morocco/France) for its humorous look at injustice and corruption and for showing the courage and determination of a simple man who stands up to all who stand in his way in order to defend his rights and denounce the abuse of power by politicians and false prophets.

The special mentions of the jury go to:

● “HAWI” (fiction, Ibrahim El-Batout, Egypt/Qatar) for its serious research, its tender look at the past and its link with the current problematic political climate in Egypt.
● “ASHLAA” (document, Hakim Belabbes, Morocco) for its ability to reconcile magnificently a personal story and a topic of universal interest. A tribute to all filmmakers.
● “DREXCIYA” (document, Akosua Adoma Owusu, Ghana) for the radical nature of the project, its effective use of limited economic resourcesand its poetic insight.
● “STATE OF VIOLENCE” (fiction, Khalo Matabane, South Africa/France) for showing how peace can only be achieved through forgiveness and reconciliation.
● “MICROPHONE” (fiction, Ahmad Abdalla, Egypt) for reflecting the arrival of the wind of change in Egyptian society, as well as the importance of culture as part of a democratic system which respects freedom above all else.

FCAT, one of the biggest European festival of African cinema, welcomes this year over 200 African filmmakers including legendary African director Moustapha Alassane and focuses among others on African Diaspore in Latin America, the role of cinema in recent revolutions in Tunis and Egypt or restrospective of Congolese cinematography.

Festival was accompanied among others by 3rd Africa Produce Forum, where 10 African filmmakers competed with their projects to get funding from European producers including representatives of Al-Jazeera Docuemntary Channel. The winning projects will be announced soon.

In this year 4th Photoafrica, whose topic was “Urban Space”, competed twenty five photographers from eleven African countries. The winners are:

● 1st place award (€1,500) - Jessica MacLeod (South Africa) with the photograph titled “You see a shack, I see my house”
● 2nd place award (€1,000) - James Muriuki (Kenya) with the photograph titled “44”
● 3rd place award (€500) - Mimi Cherono (Kenya) with the photograph titled “Khusi and the Giraffes”

The exhibiton of altogether 27 large format photographs will be inaugurated and installed outdoors in Tarifa before and through the festival and after its closure will be travelling the whole year through Spanish and African cities.

About FCAT
African film festival of Tarifa (FCAT – Festival de Cine Africano de Tarifa) is an independent and competitive film festival and one of the biggest African film festivals in Europe. The FCAT celebrated its eighth edition from 11th to 19th June in Andalusian town Tarifa - the closest town of continental Europe to the African continent - the two continents are in fact only 14 km apart from one another in this geographical area. More on www.fcat.es


Contact:
Filip Hruby
International Press Officer
African Film Festival of Tarifa (FCAT)
Mobile: +420/775 011 550
Skype: filip.hruby2409
gabineteprensa2@fcat.es