African film conference at University of Westminster

Oct. 25, 2012 - PRLog -- African film conference at University of Westminster  

Renowned African filmmakers will be keynote speakers at the  ‘Evolving African Film Cultures: Local and Global Experiences’ conference organised by the University of Westminster’s Africa Media Centre on Saturday, 10 November and Sunday 11 November 2012 at the University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London.

The two-day conference has attracted 60 speakers from Britain, Africa, Europe, Asia and America who will debate the evolving African film cultures in terms of production, distribution and consumption in and outside Africa.

Speakers include:

● Tsitsi Dangarembga, an award-winning novelist and filmmaker whose works include Everyone's Child, 1996 and Kare Kare Zvako, (short), 2004. She is currently Director of the Institute of Creative Arts for Progress in Africa Trust (ICAPA, www.icapatrust.org) and Founder of the International Images Film Festival for Women (IIFF) http://www.facebook.com/BreakingTheSilenceAZimbabweProject

● Jean-Marie Teno, Africa’s preeminent documentary filmmaker, who has been producing and directing films on the colonial and post-colonial history of Africa for over twenty years, such as  Africa, je te plumerai; A Trip to the Country; Clando; Chief!; Alex's Wedding; and The Colonial Misunderstanding. Teno is also an artist in residence at the Pacific Film Archive of the University of California, Berkeley, and has lectured at numerous universities.

● Professor Rod Stoneman, director of the Huston School of Film & Digital Media at the National University of Ireland, Galway, filmmaker and author of numerous books and articles on film and television. He was Chief Executive of Bord Scannán na hÉireann / the Irish Film Board and also worked as deputy commissioning editor in the Independent Film and Video Department at Channel 4 where he commissioned and bought and provided production finance for over 50 African feature films.

The speakers will discuss the annual Festival Panafricain du Cinéma de Ouagadougou (FESPACO) festival in Burkina Faso and its impact in encouraging new production types which are rarely available to, or appreciated widely by audiences in Africa as well as how the digital economy, especially the internet, has opened up huge opportunities for the wider distribution of African film.

Other topics to be covered will also include:

● Production cultures and circulation of film;

● History, myth and identity in African film;

● The representation of African cultures in film

● Indigenous language films and the problems of subtitles and illiteracy.

● Morality and spirituality in African cinema;

● Exhibition, financing and distribution of African film;

● Cinema and digital technologies;

● Film festivals and the development of national cinemas in Africa;

Dr Winston Mano, Director of the Africa Media Centre, says: “The African film culture is evolving fast with the introduction of new digital technologies and the internet. This conference will analyse how the film industry in Africa is developing, the challenges that it is facing and how it will influence African society in the forthcoming years.”

The University of Westminster’s Africa Media Centre was established in January 2009 to promote and disseminate research on communication, film, television, radio, internet, journalism, and social change in Africa.

For further information and schedule of the conference, please visit the website: http://www.westminster.ac.uk/research/a-z/camri/events/camri-events-calendar/2012/evolving-african-film-cultures-local-and-global-experiences-conference

-Ends-

VENUE

University of Westminster,

309 Regent Street,

London

W1B 2UW

For media passes and further information on the conference, please contact:

Sarah Evans-Toyne, Lianne Robinson or Chiara Barreca

Broadgate Mainland

Email: westminster@broadgatemainland.com

Telephone: +44(0) 20 7726 6111

Notes to Editors:

The University of Westminster boasts a vibrant learning environment attracting more than 20,000 students from over 150 nations and we continue to invest in our future with new developments, research projects and new ideas. We offer highly attractive practice-based courses which are independently rated as excellent, many with international recognition. Our distinguished 170-year history has meant we lead the way in many areas of research, particularly politics, media, music, art and design, architecture and biomedical sciences, and our position in the city of London allows us to continue to build on our close connections with leading figures and organisations in these areas as well as in the worlds of business, information technology, politics and law. Our commitment to educating graduates for the needs of professional life attracts high quality students from within the UK and around the globe. Internationalism, employability and sustainability are key elements in the University of Westminster’s vision for the future and we strive to ensure the very highest standards are met and maintained.