Title: Fespaco (Festival Panafricain Du Cinema De Ouagadougou): The Shifting Issues of African Cinema
Abstract: When Fespaco was created in 1969, its goal was to promote African cinema, to showcase works related to Africa by (mostly) African filmmakers, and to educate. It strove to be a forum of exchange between different sectors of the film industry and between filmmakers and their public, and soon became the largest film festival on the continent. Forty four years later, Fespaco continues to take place every other year in the Burkinabe capital and to offer a large variety of African focused long and short feature films, documentaries, and television/web series. Fespacos prestige and appeal, however, seem to be fading. Some filmmakers are complaining of its lack of organization and amateurism. Others claim that newer African film festivals, in Nigeria and South Africa, for instance, draw more attention from potential buyers, as do major film festivals outside of the continent (Cannes, Sundance, Berlin, Venice, Toronto) that are increasingly selecting African films. Others still worry that the festival has become too much of a smokescreen for the current regime, in power since 1987. This paper analyzes Fespacos evolution from yesterday to today, looking at its strengths and weaknesses, and the lessons it provides for contemporary African cinema. /
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Access and Citation
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot