By Bunmi Ajiboye
(234next January 29, 2011)
Was it a coincidence that the panel on the 3rd day of the iRep Documentary Film Festival comprised academics? Little wonder then that the discussion at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos, went in the direction of an academic discourse of sorts with useful examples which still bordered on the theoretical.
An instance was Onookome Okome's theory that Nollywood is popular art. Okome, a lecturer at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, is also a specialist in Nollywood films and is currently on sabbatical at the Pan African University.
Sola Olorunyomi, a lecturer at the University of Ibadan; Awam Amkpa, professor and director of African Studies at New York University; and Tunde Babawale, director general of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), were also on the panel. They discussed ‘Motifs of Black Consciousness in African Documentary films'.
iREPRESENT (iREP) is a touring film festival founded by three Nigerian culture figures to promote independent documentary films and global awareness about the role of documentary films in deepening participatory democracy.It stages a festival every year, and will run Training and Screening regularly.
Showing posts with label irep in the media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label irep in the media. Show all posts
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Documenting Africa on screen
BY BUNMI AJIBOYE
Culled 234NEXT January 29, 2011)
The iRep Documentary Film Festival which began on Thursday, January 20, continued the following day with workshops and film screenings at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos.The event not only brought together documentary filmmakers from the African continent, it was also an eye opener as it highlighted the potentials of the genre while also paying attention to obstacles documentary filmmakers often contend with.Culture activist, Toyin Akinosho; filmmakers, Deji Adesanya and Mahmood Alli Balogun; and president, Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria (ITPAN), Busola Holloway, were on a panel moderated by Tunde Adegbola.
They discussed ‘Africa in Self Conversation: Documentary and Democracy', while Sandra Obiago, executive director, Communicating For Change (CFC), also presented a paper titled ‘Films for Development: Engineering Change in African Politics'.
Culled 234NEXT January 29, 2011)
The iRep Documentary Film Festival which began on Thursday, January 20, continued the following day with workshops and film screenings at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos.The event not only brought together documentary filmmakers from the African continent, it was also an eye opener as it highlighted the potentials of the genre while also paying attention to obstacles documentary filmmakers often contend with.Culture activist, Toyin Akinosho; filmmakers, Deji Adesanya and Mahmood Alli Balogun; and president, Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria (ITPAN), Busola Holloway, were on a panel moderated by Tunde Adegbola.
They discussed ‘Africa in Self Conversation: Documentary and Democracy', while Sandra Obiago, executive director, Communicating For Change (CFC), also presented a paper titled ‘Films for Development: Engineering Change in African Politics'.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Africa’s battered image… pains for documentary filmmakers
(Culled from The Guardian Thursday, 27 January
By Chuks Nwanne
Over the years, there has been a general outcry from different quarters of the continent on how the international media has done great harm to Africa in its coverage by casting Africa in negative light. African governments and scholars have viewed this kind of reportage as a deliberate project of alienating Africa and framing it as a hopeless continent. The issue was at the front burner during the just concludeda iRepresent International Documentary Film Festival in Lagos, where filmmakers from different parts of the world brainstormed on the possible use of documentary films to redeem the already battered image of Africa.
RESEARCH has shown that international media has low budgets for Africa as it believes that no good news can come out of the black continent. It has suddenly become a popular opinion that all news from Africa is bad news. Critical observation has shown that few international correspondents are usually sent to cover Africa on a long-term basis. Those who are sent to the continent are usually assigned only in moments and areas of crisis and for a very short period.
By Chuks Nwanne
Over the years, there has been a general outcry from different quarters of the continent on how the international media has done great harm to Africa in its coverage by casting Africa in negative light. African governments and scholars have viewed this kind of reportage as a deliberate project of alienating Africa and framing it as a hopeless continent. The issue was at the front burner during the just concludeda iRepresent International Documentary Film Festival in Lagos, where filmmakers from different parts of the world brainstormed on the possible use of documentary films to redeem the already battered image of Africa.
RESEARCH has shown that international media has low budgets for Africa as it believes that no good news can come out of the black continent. It has suddenly become a popular opinion that all news from Africa is bad news. Critical observation has shown that few international correspondents are usually sent to cover Africa on a long-term basis. Those who are sent to the continent are usually assigned only in moments and areas of crisis and for a very short period.
iREP: Making a case for documentary films
As appeared in the BusinessLIFE section of the BusinessDay, Friday, 28 January 2011
By Kemi Ajumobi
The general notion about Africa, as transmitted through various local and international media, revolves around death, corruption, drought, disease and war. But the question that Nigerian filmmakers, critics and literary activists were preoccupied with answering at the just-concluded iREP film festival was: ‘who is telling our stories and from what point of view?’
The event, which held at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island and the Freedom Park on Broad Street, Lagos, served as a platform for filmmakers to exchange ideas on the future of documentaries in Africa and how the platform can be used to tell true stories of Africa by Africans. Thankfully, participants came away with a sense of optimism, as their conclusion was that documentaries can indeed be used (if the guidelines are followed) to accurately report occurrences on the continent.
With the theme ‘Africa in Self-Conversation, the Documentary Film Intervention’ the festival emphasised on training and skill development for the benefit of young filmmakers, while celebrating documentary filmmakers who have used their works to impact the world positively.
By Kemi Ajumobi
The general notion about Africa, as transmitted through various local and international media, revolves around death, corruption, drought, disease and war. But the question that Nigerian filmmakers, critics and literary activists were preoccupied with answering at the just-concluded iREP film festival was: ‘who is telling our stories and from what point of view?’
The event, which held at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island and the Freedom Park on Broad Street, Lagos, served as a platform for filmmakers to exchange ideas on the future of documentaries in Africa and how the platform can be used to tell true stories of Africa by Africans. Thankfully, participants came away with a sense of optimism, as their conclusion was that documentaries can indeed be used (if the guidelines are followed) to accurately report occurrences on the continent.
With the theme ‘Africa in Self-Conversation, the Documentary Film Intervention’ the festival emphasised on training and skill development for the benefit of young filmmakers, while celebrating documentary filmmakers who have used their works to impact the world positively.
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