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[ecrea] Conference on 50 years of filming in Africa

Fri Nov 05 19:00:29 GMT 2010



University of Westminster Conference Celebrates 50 years of Filming in Africa



LONDON-The London African Film Festival and BAFTA will partner the University of Westminster?s Africa Media Centre in celebrating the achievements of African cinema over the past 50 years. A two-day conference, 27-28 November, organised by the African Media Centre will bring notable speakers from all over the globe to discuss the progress made by prominent filmmakers, at the Filming Against the Odds Conference in London. The conference keynote speaker is Professor Ferid Boughedir, a leading Tunisian filmmaker and historian of African cinema (his filmography includes Camera d'Afrique - Twenty Years of African Cinema (1983), which will be screened on Sunday 28 November. The conference will also explore what these films mean to contemporary Africa and how they relate to a range of topics including politics, language, and global aspects.



For half a century, filmmaking across Africa has thrived with representations of life and culture in various countries. Many newfound independent countries created a new type of cinema for Africans that would grasp worldwide attention­it was their own, and voiceless Africans would finally be heard. Nigeria was one nation that embraced the possibilities cinema brought to its society. Today, Nigeria?s movie industry is second largest in the world. Nollywood, as it is known, releases about 900 titles every year and brings in revenue of nearly £100m, according to a UN statement. Many Nigerian speakers will attend the conference and look at the remarkable success that Nollywood has become, and what other countries are doing to follow their footsteps.



Three other films, Pumzi, The Tunnel, St Louis Blues will be screened at BAFTA in association with the conference and London African Film Festival. They are a trio of contrasting short films that were made through a mentoring scheme by Focus Features through its Africa First programme. It is an important initiative that seeks to identify emerging talent from Africa.



Director of African Media Centre Winston Mano said, ?African film production has developed into a major industry that deserves more attention in academia. The conference is a key initiative towards this goal.?



Conference fees (for entire event):

Students: £50 (1-day fee £40)

Non-Students: £ 125 (1-day fee £95)

Fees cover registration, conference pack, lunch, coffee/tea and wine reception.



Conference Partners include the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and The African Channel (on Sky TV 268)

For more information, please visit the conference website: <http://www.westminster.ac.uk/schools/media/news-and-events/events/2010/filming-against-the-odds>http://www.westminster.ac.uk/schools/media/news-and-events/events/2010/filming-against-the-odds


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Nico Carpentier (Phd)
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Vrije Universiteit Brussel - Free University of Brussels
Centre for Studies on Media and Culture (CeMeSO)
Pleinlaan 2 - B-1050 Brussels - Belgium
T: ++ 32 (0)2-629.18.56
F: ++ 32 (0)2-629.36.84
Office: 5B.401a
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European Communication Research and Education Association
Web: http://www.ecrea.eu
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E-mail: (Nico.Carpentier /at/ vub.ac.be)
Web: http://homepages.vub.ac.be/~ncarpent/
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