November 23rd, Tarifa, Spain – Three brand new African film projects from Burkina Faso, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo found their producers at this year´s 3rd África Prouce Co-Production Forum and thus are able to enter into pre-production phase. África Produce, the only co-production forum for African films in Spain, took place in June within the 8th Tarifa African Film Festival (FCAT) in Spain.
On top of that one of these three projects – The Boda Boda Thieves – was awarded the 60 000 euros grant at Berlinale co-production forum last week.
- ● Feature-length project “The Boda Boda Thieves” (Uganda, South Africa) found valuable production contacts in Tarifa, which resulted in the 60 000 euros grant the Boda Boda Thieves got last week at World Cinema Fund co-production forum, which creates part of the Berlinale festival. The jury of World Cinema Fund selected The Boda Boda Thieves together with four other movies from total of 113 submissions. Inspired by Vittorio De Sica’s legendary “Bicycle Thieves”, The Boda Boda Thieves tells the story of a rural family trying to make a living in the shanty town of Kampala by running an improvised motorbike taxi service. “The experience of FCAT has breathed fire into our project. What a privilege to meet so many people burning with energy and love for their art and their craft. I feel part of one world family, says” James Tayler, South African Producer of The Boda Boda Thieves.
- ● Documentary project “Parle Avec Eux” (Burkina Faso), directed by Maïmuna Ndiaye and represented in Tarifa by Spanish producer, Luis Marques, managed to sign the co-production contract with the Social Prod production from Basque country. “Parle Avec Eux” describes the desperate life of mentally ill people in Burkina Faso, where exist only seven psychiatrists for a population of 16 million.
- ● Another documentary project “Cenizas del Perdón” (RDC), directed by Gilbert Ndunga Nsangata, signed co-production contract with Antorcha (Columbia) and Utopic (France) productions. “Cenizas del Perdón” opens to viewers bizzare world of Gondism, a Congolese movement founded by Tata Honda Wasilua Wanguitoukoulou,announces the arrival of a black messiah that will free and ensure the unity of the Kongo people. Men and women, elders and children, they have all gathered courage since the arrival of Barack Obama. The long awaited moment draws near.
3rd Africa Produce received for this year 41 entries (26 feature-length projects and 15 documentaries) from 17 African countries. There were 10 projects in finale, whose directors were pitching them to Spanish film producers and TV commissioning editors. Since 2009 already 22 African film projects were presented within the forum and four of them are already being produced.
3rd Africa Produce Forum took place also thanks to kind support of Spanish Agency for International Development and Cooperation (AECID), Department of Culture of Andalusia and Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA).
Source: press release from Fcat.es
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