Francophone africa specifically refers to all the african states formerly colonized by france and belgium in the period between the late nineteenth and the midtwentieth centuries. This is an authoritative book on the history of filmmaking in colonial and postcolonial francophone west africa. One more international forum for francophone african theatre was the festival international des francophonies, held annually in limoges, france. Black girl is considered to be one of the first subsaharan african movies by an african filmmaker to gain international recognition. Most businesses will feel a negative impact from the covid19 pandemic, but within the challenge hides several opportunities. In 2018, film africa screened 42 films from 15 african countries, including 23 world, european or uk premieres. Africa is home of the majority of french speakers in the world. The festival is dedicated to promoting and subtitling the most relevant cinema productions. The major contemporary african francophone filmmakers and their films are treated here. List of frenchspeaking african countries answers africa. The rise of african women filmmakers in this article, i draw on my experience not only as a researcher and teacher of african film, but also as an african film programmer and film festival director over the past ten years, from 2001 to 2011. During the colonial era, african life was shown only by the work of white, colonial, western filmmakers, who depicted blacks in a negative fashion, as exotic others. The book discusses a certain number of themes as they are featured in african francophone cinema. In francophone west african countries where revenue generated from natural resources is omnipresent, money does not go through the citizenry, but rather directly channelled to the government by mining and oil companies.
Created in 1984, the festival invited many african troupes to present productions there and a number of african dramatists completed projects as writersinresidence under festival auspices. The ceo of africa foresight group shares opportunities. In west africa, interest in local films is booming and more and more young people are. The latter films would still qualify as francophone because they meet the basic criteria of geography. The festival usually takes place in march of every year it is held. African jazz was the band that was chosen to go and entertain and urge the delegation on as independence negotiations were going on between the congolese political representatives, and their belgian colonizers. Nigeria another african nation that is boasting a rapidly growing international cinematic industry is nigeria. Setting the stage for a critical encounter between francophone african cinema and continental european critical theory, this book offers a transnational and interdisciplinary analysis of 16 francophone african films, including bassek ba kobhios the great white man of lambarene, cheick oumar sissokos guimba the tyrant, and amadou secks saaraba.
Located in northern nigeria at the end of the 19th century, the film is based on a novel by abubakar tafawa balewa, who later became nigerias first prime minister. Cameroon see above in its anglophone context had an active theatre with a significant base in the universities, and it produced two major figures of the francophone theatre, playwright guillaume oyonombia and the. Devarajan especially blames the system of funding by states. Images of france in francophone african films 19781998 by madeleine cottenethage 7. Film africa also recognises and supports new filmmaking talent through the baobab award for best short film and the audience award for best feature film. As a whole, the collection highlights the distinct thematic, stylistic, and socioeconomic circumstances of african filmmaking. Francophone cinema is a promising and relatively new language and culture resource for french teachers. This includes those who speak french as a first or second language in these 31 francophone african countries dark blue on the map, but it does not include french speakers living in nonfrancophone. Although i am aware of the fact that there are many, many more books out there not translated that i am missing out on, its still nice to know that there are a number of translated works that enable me to really explore. John contehmorgan explores the multiple ways in which african and caribbean theatres have combined aesthetic, ceremonial, experimental, and avantgarde practices in order to achieve sharp critiques of the nationalist and postnationalist state and to elucidate the concerns of the francophone world. It dates back to the early 20th century, when film reels were the primary cinematic technology in use.
Founded in 1969, it has honored a great number of movies whose impact is still felt today. History of african film industry experience africa. Film production in francophone africa 1961 to 1977. The french language covers 31 countries of africa including the maghreb region algeria, morocco, mauritania and tunisia. It is a detailed historical analysis of the politics, aesthetics, and economics of cinema emphasizing the critical role of french colonial administrators, african film pioneers, and the custodians of west africas postcolonial states. Being an english speaker, i can only read francophone african literature that has been translated into english i guess that is a good enough reason to finally learn french. Only the rediscovery of the camera negative in 2016 made the reconstruction. Bibliography includes bibliographical references p. Africanfrancophone film posted on october 17, 2018 this course is an overview of francophone african cinema, featuring representative films and directors from senegal, mali, chad, cameroon, algeria, and morocco, and spanning from 1966 to 2016. Amidst turmoil and racial conflict in a francophone african state, a white french woman fights for her coffee crop, her family and.
Project muse new francophone african and caribbean theatres. The films present new voices, issues, and perspectives from the francophone world, and at the same time, provide new materials for teaching and learning. The library of african cinema california newsreel film. Film policy and the development of the african cinema. Summary setting the stage for a critical encounter between francophone african cinema and continental european critical theory, this book offers a transnational and interdisciplinary analysis of 16 francophone african films, including bassek ba kobhios the great white man of lambarn, cheick oumar sissokos guimba the. At closer inspection though, one finds that this optimism is usually in reference to english speaking african states, leaving the majority of francophone africa, which makes up 57% of african states, out of the conversation.
The 15th annual tarifatangiers african film festival fcat wrapped this past weekend in tarifa, spain. Films from africa made by africans offer restorative images and oftentimes a new film language. Images of women and oppression in francophone west. Francophone africa countries included are benin, burkinafaso, cape verde, madagascar, mali, and senegal. Africa it would seem is the new kid on the block, where possibilities and potential abound. Watch the best african movies online as chosen by africas best filmmakers and the worlds best film awards, festivals and websites. The unique films in this collection not only showcase the works of master filmmakers but also innovative new talents who are embracing video technology. Emphasizing postindependent films released since the 1950s and the burgeoning commercial film production of the last decade, focus on african films provides unique and pluralistic perspectives on filmmaking throughout africa. Special issue of journal of african cultural studies 22 1 2010. Five of the most celebrated frenchlanguage african films. The center for the study and research of african women in cinema provides a space for study and research of myriad topics relating to african women in cinema. Also, the first african film to win an academy award for foreign language film was tsotsi 2006, a southafrican production. Francophone africa on the rise instinctif partners.
The first film that suffered censorship under the laval decree is robert vantiers film, africa 50, which was clandestinely filmed in ivory coast in the 1950s. We wish to acknowledge the financial support of the social sciences and humanities research council for their financial support through theaid to scholarly journals program. Anjali prabhus contemporary cinema of africa and the diaspora goes well beyond what might be expected of a book on the subject. Theatre had a strong, if variable, presence in the french and portuguesespeaking countries of africa. This perspective isbroadenedby ousmane sembene, who is. The cameroon international film festival came to an end this weekend. The festival screens more than 50 films from over 20 countries at venues like cinema village, mist harlem, the dwyer cultural center, the riverside theater and teachers college, columbia university. The twentyone minute film raises many questions and ideas while revealing so much about the immigrant experience. Following the story of diouana, a young woman from dakar, the plot sees her move to france to become a nanny for a wealthy french couple with time, she realizes that she is no more than a slave to the family.
Immigrants from francophone africa are chiefly muslim, so they bring a different mental and religious experience to the u. The plot is as topical as they come, with a city under siege from blackflagtoting. The film reverses the old stereotype of africa as a film set and makes the western world. Francophone cinema does indeed seem to have a lot to offer. Africa was mostly colonized by britain, france and portugal during the scramble for africa and after a prolonged stay in the continent, the colonized nations adopted the colonizers language as the official language, hence, there a lot of frenchspeaking african countries it is necessary to note that there is a proportional distribution of those who can speak english, french and portuguese. The second edition of the francophone film festival with 10 feature films in french, two animations and 10 ghanaian shorts in competition. For apart from its comprehensiveness, verve and lucidity, it raises philosophical and ethical questions about spectatorship that will find resonance with all scholars of cinema, wherever they may be found. Now in its 26th year, the african diaspora international film festival serves to highlight and promote the cinematic contributions worldwide of african directors and filmmakers. While some recent films by african and african diaspora women filmmakers that were screened at film africa 2011 such as the experimental, altnollywood films of zina sarowiwa, the deliverance of comfort and phyllis 2010, and yaba badoes the witches of gambaga 2010 offer important, urgent feminist critique, others such as. Africa on the seine, while not the first african film, is the first film to reveal the innerworkings of a black immigrant community abroad. Manu dibango and ceddos transatlantic film scores by brenda berrian part iii. African theatre african theatre francophone and lusophone africa. Shaihu umar is one of the most important works in nigerian film history, but was long considered lost. There are twentynine francophone african countries situated mainly in west, central, and north africa.
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