Broadcast Content Across Borders
AMAA, BUFF, Lagos State Government Host Roundtable In Oxford
THE Lagos State government, which is hosting the 18th Africa Movie Academy Awards later this year ( AMAA), began the journey towards the event by having a roundtable with filmmakers in Oxford on using film as a tool for promoting indigenous languages. The event held on Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at the prestigious University of Oxford's Modern Languages Department. The roundtable was hosted in collaboration with The James Currey Society. Hosted by visiting academic, Onyeka Nwelue, the event had the Lagos State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Uzamat Akinbile- Yussuf, and Africa Film Academy's CEO, Peace Anyiam Osigwe, as keynote speakers. Also in attendance was a delegation of UK- based filmmakers and influencers from the diaspora including, Obi Emelonye ( Black Mail), Emmanuel Anyiam- Osigwe ( British Urban Film Festival), Ogo Okpue ( Catface), Stephan- Pierre Mitchell ( Deleted) and Eno Enefiok ( Asylum). The AMAA is organised ayearly to recognise excellence among professionals working in or nonAfrican professionals, who have contributed to the African film industry. It was founded in 2005 by Peace Anyiam- Osigwe and is run through the Africa Film Academy. On the other hand, Emmanuel Anyiam- Osigwe founded the British Urban Film Festival ( BUFF) in 2005 to showcase urban independent cinema in the absence of any such state- sponsored activity in the UK ( at the time). In October 2020, the festival was granted with BAFTA qualifying status for British Short Films. In September 2021, London- based actor Justin Chinyere succeeded Anyiam- Osigwe as festival director.
Berlinale Filmfest Goes Open Air
GOOD news for film fans: From June 15 to 29, 2022, the Berlinale will present festival highlights from the February programme in a summery outdoor atmosphere. In cooperation with five Berlin outdoor cinemas and the films’ distributors, films from various Berlinale sections are expected to be shown over the course of 15 evenings. Berlinale Goes Open Air combines the tradition of the Summer Berlinale ( since 2003) with the concept for Berlinale Goes Kiez, an audience favourite. The festival directors or the Berlinale section heads would introduce the films. Guests from film teams will also attend some screenings. The 2022 Berlinale took place in February as an on- site event despite the challenges of the pandemic. The festival’s success was a positive sign for the film industry and an encouraging one for all culture fans. However, Berlinale Goes Open Air aims to once again promote awareness of the films and of the cinema as a community- building place, as well as to support German film distributors and cinemas in their work towards creating a vibrant film culture and connecting to a wide audience. The detailed event programme is online at www. berlinale. de.
Mipcom Super- Sized Format Returns In October
REED Exhibition has confirmed that Mipcom will return in a super- sized format in October. However, Reed Exhibition’s next market will be Mipchina, which will again be held online from June 28. Lucy Smith, the director of Mipcom and MIPTV, hinted that majority of the major exhibitors have already confirmed that they will not only be back, but in full force for 2022 – in the Palais and beyond. Smith also pointed out that Mipcom will expand on its industry showcase aimed at creators, showrunners and producers, which took place alongside MIPTV and Canneseries. She announced that MIPTV will be back in 2023 in a threeday format and unveiled the dates: April 17 to 20. Smith also confirmed that children’s content industry gathering Mipjunior will return as a separate event. This year, MIPTV drew more than 5,000 participants from 80 countries, including more than 150 exhibitors and more than 1,200 buyers, as well as approximately 300 people online. There was a special focus on the Ukrainian industry, and the market attracted more than 80 Ukrainian guests and hosted the launch of a dedicated acquisition fund.
PAFF Invites Entries For 2023 Edition
THE Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles is now accepting submissions from filmmakers wanting to showcase their films at the 2023 edition of the festival dubbed PAFF 2023. The PAFF 2023 is planned as a hybrid festival-- both physical and virtual-- with the majority portion of physical activities and all live- audience screenings being held physically in Los Angeles. In past years, PAFF has hosted its live film festivals with more than 40,000 in attendance, which has long been a highly anticipated event in Los Angeles attended by local, national, and international guests. Filmmakers wanting to submit to PAFF can apply by going to the PAFF website www. paff. organd clicking on “Submit Film.” Filmmakers can also submit to The Pan African Film Festival directly through Filmfreeway. com or Festhome. com. PAFF accepts applications for films and videos made by and/ or about people of African descent. The PAFF competition categories are: Best Narrative Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, and Best First Feature - Director, plus a variety of Audience Favorite Awards. Submitted films must be copyrighted no earlier than 2021. Regular Submissions is from July 6 through September 12, while final Submission date for Feature Length Films is November 14, 2022.