I'm not sure of copyright rules, so I'll just summarize a bit and if anyone
wants a hard copy of the full article, please contact me - Steve Smith
scs@dsr.us.net
"African Festival's Filmmakers Search for New Angles, and Audiences"
by Howard W French, 3 March 1997
He gives a history of FESPACO, and mentioned the "creeping realization among
African filmmakers that nearly three decades after this festival was founded
as a way to promote the continent's infant cinema, the organizers' goals
mostly remain a pan-African dream in search of an African audience." He
talks quite a bit about the need to make films for African audiences - not
the "art-house ghetto of European
and American markets."
One positive trend maybe is Idrissa Ouedraogo's latest film made in English
in Zimbabwe. Maybe there is a "growing consciousness among French-speaking
filmmakers of the need to break out of a cozy but ultimately narrow market."
Mr French notes that the potential threat of South Africa dominating African
cinema hasn't happened. In fact there were no films from Nigeria, Kenya or
Ghana. Where are the English films in this pan-African festival?
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Does anyone know what the rules are about me having this article typed in
and then posting it on the listserver?
cheers, Steve Smith, scs@dsr.us.net
In-Reply-To: 199703241657.IAA25307@abraham.xc.org