What is the African Film Library?

The African Film Library is an M-Net initiative showcasing the best of the African film industry – making the movies easily accessible for movie aficionados around the world.

The African film industry is one of the oldest – with its roots in Ain el Ghezel (The Girl of Carthage), which was produced in Tunisia by Chemama Chikly in 1924. M-Net has spent the last three years negotiating the rights to almost 600 works in English, French, Arabic and Portuguese and digitally remastering them.

The library forms an important archive of the continent’s cultural cinematic heritage, and also, for the first time, makes the African artists’ works easily accessible by a wide viewership around the globe – creating a new audience for existing and emerging filmmakers.

The library consists of award-winning works from more than 80 producers including Senegalese Ousmane Sembene and Djibril Mambety, Yousef Chahine from Egypt and Haile Gerima from Ethiopia. – source

John Kani

John Kani formed a major part of the launch event held at Monte Casino.

Why? Because the man is a genius, put simply.

The film that we were shown as part of the launch has won many awards and was written by Kani. He also directed and starred in the film.

Nothing But The Truth

The awards that the film received were plentiful, see the list below:

Awards
2009: Fespaco – Silver Stallion award
2009: Fespaco – Inaugural Ousmane Sembene award for Peace
2009: Milan International film festival – Best African film
2009: Milan International film festival – Catholic Church peace prize
2009: Zimbabwe International Film Festival (ZIFF) – Best film; Best actor
2009: Youande film festival – Best Film

I am 100% in support of an initiative such as this one. The world needs to see that Africa has artistic offerings to match up with the rest of the world.

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It got me thinking, what exactly defines African? What exactly is it that makes me so passionate about Africa when some might argue that historically I am Greek, not African.

Is it as simple as “If you were born in African and live in Africa then you are African”? I don’t think so, but why not?

I am extremely interested to know what makes you think, feel, believe that you are African?Similar Posts:

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