Rosie Awori (LJI)
The 37th International Film Festival, Vues d’Afrique (VA), an exploration of African and Creole cinema will be streaming virtually from April 9 to 18
The founders, Maud-Salomé Ekila and Alun Be announced via an online press conference that this year their 37th edition will see 51 countries, with the lion’s share going to African states (33). Namibia and Equatorial Guinea will be taking part for the first time.
The film The White Sandals by Christian Faure, a Franco-Algerian filmmaker, will open the 37th ceremony. The competitive section of Vues d’Afrique includes 146 films, including 21 feature films (59 shorts, 56 documentaries and 10 animated films are also in competition.)
Among the feature films are Grandmother Nineteen and the Soviet Secrets of Mozambican João Ribeiro, Autumn Landscapes by Merzak Allouache (Algeria), Land of the Braves by Tim Huebschle, the first Namibian film presented at Vues d’Afrique ”, The Chemin du Paradis by Wahid Sanouji (Morocco / Netherlands) and Les oubliées des Grands Lacs, by Burundian Joseph Bitamba.
Another new aspect of this edition will be the awarding of the “Male / Female Equality” prize, to a work elected by the Center for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) from the entire session.
Several events have been slotted for the week, including Morocco Day, April 16, and an evening on April 14 in honor of the International Organization of La Francophonie, which funded the Malagasy film Étoile du matin by Nantenaina Lova. Several programs aimed at young people – Matinées Ciné-Jeunesse, 100H Chrono, Regards Croisés, Goût et couleurs and Audiovisual Weeks have also been added to the programming.
To “enhance the festival experience”, Vues d’Afrique is setting up a television channel. Broadcast online (on the festival’s website and Facebook page) throughout the event, the Vues d’Afrique TV promises “diversified digital events”, including the daily program Le JT d’Éric , animated by Éric M’Boua. Webinars will be scheduled and give the public a chance to interact with some of the filmmakers.
Around 100 films will be available free of charge online for 48 hours in Canada on the site as well on TV5’s mobile and connected television applications.
More information can be found on viewsdafrique.org
