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African Films of UNESCO-Netflix Scheme To Stream — Global Issues


  • by SWAN – Southern Arts and Culture Newsletter (Paris)
  • Associated Press Service

According to UNESCO, the films are the winners of the “African Folktales, Reimagined” competition, launched by both organizations in 2021, attracting more than 2,000 entries.

Ernesto Ottone Ramírez, the agency’s assistant general manager for culture, said the joint initiative “pays homage to Africa’s centuries-old tradition of passing on wisdom from generation to generation. other, from the oldest to the youngest”. He acknowledges that this is a start for UNESCO, whose work with streaming platforms is primarily focused on policy and regulatory issues.

Meanwhile, Tendeka Matatu, Netflix’s film director for sub-Saharan Africa, said the company believes “great stories are universal and they can come from anywhere and be loved everywhere.” place”. What Netflix and UNESCO have in common, he said, is a desire to “promote diversity of expression”.

Entries submitted to the film competition went through a first selection process, before being narrowed down to 21 candidates, who presented their projects to an international jury. The jury – including film advisors – then selected six finalists: from Kenya (Voline Ogutu), Mauritania (Mohamed Echkouna), Nigeria (Korede Azeez), South Africa (Gcobisa Yako), Tanzania (Walt) Mzengi Corey) and Uganda (Loukman Ali).

UNESCO said each finalist won $25,000 and a $75,000 production grant to create their short film with a local production company. The films were completed earlier this year, and their streaming (as “anthologies”) will begin with the 6th Kalasha International Film and TV Market in Kenya, a trade fair. The three-day trade took place from March 29 to 31.

Speaking at an internal “pre-screening” of the films at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, Ottone Ramírez said the agency was “particularly pleased” that the short films captured “not only the culture of Europe” Africa but also the cultural diversity in Africa”.

However, some observers privately expressed concern that any association with global streaming platforms could lead to formulaic storytelling or could undermine the local film project – a fear that Ottone Ramírez says is unfounded.

I said SWAN that filmmakers have complete freedom and that the films are their own vision. What Netflix “puts at their disposal,” he said, is access to an experienced filmmaking partner, as well as financial and technical support. (“Netflix-designated supervisory producer” is Steven Markovitz from Big World Cinema, an African production company based in Cape Town, South Africa.)

UNESCO said the partnership demonstrates a “shared commitment to the continent’s audiovisual industries, which create jobs and wealth” and that the creative industries “are assets for development”. sustainability of the continent”.

The creative industries are also an opportunity for companies looking to expand into new markets, observers say, which can be mutually beneficial. While Nigeria and a few other countries have a long history of filmmaking, many African directors could benefit from international support.

Anniwaa Buachie, a Ghanaian-born British actress and filmmaker, says SWAN That “budget” is one of the biggest constraints on indie films. “You can’t go back and forth, money is tight, which means time is also limited. You only have one chance to make sure you get the right photos, the right lighting, etc.”

Some of the industry’s challenges are highlighted in a 2021 UNESCO report on Africa’s film sector, titled African film industry: trends, challenges and growth opportunities. The report shows that the sector can create around 20 million jobs and generate $20 billion in annual revenue on the continent. With the survey, says Ottone Ramírez, UNESCO can identify the need to build capacity and “scale up” the efforts of policymakers – taking Nigeria as a model.

(Read here: The African film industry: trends, challenges and growth opportunities – UNESCO Digital Library)

Ottone Ramírez says that it was at the completion of the report that UNESCO decided on the current project. SWAN. At the same time, Netflix is ​​also looking to launch a project in Africa, so partnership talks have already begun, with “months” of format discussions and calls for subscriptions, he said. said more.

As for “priorities”, UNESCO hopes to include indigenous languages ​​and gender equality in the project, he said. Besides English and French, the winning films were made in a variety of languages ​​including Hausa, KiSwahili, Runyankole, Hassaniya Arabic and isiXhosa – reflecting the International Decade of Indigenous Languages of the United Nations (2022-2032).

Many of the stories also focus on female characters, with themes including domestic violence and the struggle for equal rights within patriarchal structures.

“It shows us how important this topic is to the younger generation of African filmmakers,” says Ottone Ramírez. “I could say that was the main theme of each of the 21 presentations before the final selection. We are seeing a different narrative.”

Ottone Ramírez says: SWAN.

In the process of selecting the winners, UNESCO and Netflix acted as observers, leaving the selection to an international jury, he said.

Aside from being able to produce their movies, perhaps the biggest advantage for the winners is that they have access to a global platform that Netflix says it is “proud” to offer.

“We know Africa has never been short of talent and creativity,” said Matatu, director of Netflix. “However, what is lacking is opportunity. Emerging talent often struggles – they struggle to find the right resources and visibility to reach their full potential and grow their creative careers.”

He says that the winning short films will have the potential to reach some 230 million subscribers to the video-on-demand platform worldwide – an unprecedented opportunity for these young filmmakers. – SWAN

Industry advisors are Bongiwe Selane, Jenna Bass, Pape Boye, Femi Odugbemi, Leila Afua Djansi and Tosh Gitonga.

© Inter Press Service (2023) — All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service

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