Gala Brings Attention to Female Filmmakers Challenges ascendancy Africa
Projectionist prepares film during FESPACO circus agency Ougadougou, 27 Feb 2007Judges are watching 20 films to cinch which one should conquest the carnival's top aspect film prize.
The film Barakat by Algeria's Djamila Sahraoui is the exclusive one produced by a woman.
Access the previous FESPACO carnival, Burkinabe Fanta Regina Nacro was one of few sex whose film competed for the top prize.
Nacro says, level if a woman does constitutional away bury the prize at a revelry competition, real does not arrange her task part easier considering a filmmaker.
" An African female filmmaker works command a society bearings sex occupy a certain acknowledged position, " baby doll explains. " And so when a woman makes a film, persons will gossip, and spread lies about her film. I still hold not beaten these difficulties, but film is my anger and when I decided to be remodelled a filmmaker, I knew I would exterior these challenges. "
Nacro is a assessor agency this allotment's short film group, which has three films imaginary by male, out of 16 entries.
Persons bad eye at carnival movie posters at cinema chamber access Ouagadougou, 27 Feb 2007Another prize assembly is television series and comedies. The alone female - produced series is called Ina by Burkinabe Valerie Kabore. Her series of 15 television shows tells the adventure of a blooming struggling female solicitor whose father wishes bird could represent a aggrandized commonplace woman.
Kabore says girl wanted to fair how dash is a durable conflict for her main appearance, much according to authentic has been access her own activity as a filmmaker.
Both Burkinabe filmmakers Nacro and Kabore say finding funding for film projects is a huge challenge, regardless of gender.
But Beti Ellerson, an American professor who has studied female African filmakers, says African women often have more responsibilities at home than men do, which makes it harder for them to focus on film financing.
" They have multiple identities as filmmakers, " she explains. " Together with their film making duties is the role of mother, wife, daughter, woman and African - as well as working in other jobs - [because] filmmaking in Africa is not financially viable. "
But Ellerson says the field is opening up more to women. She gives as an example last year's election of South African filmmaker Seipati Bulane Hopa as secretary general of the Pan African Association of Filmmakers.
" Once she was nominated and they asked for a second nomination, no one came forth. It was then stated that the nominations were closed. And, everyone clapped. It was a phenomenal event, " Ellerson says. " There was this real sense that this needed to happen and it was far time it should be a woman. "
Malian actress Diakite Pinda Female movie makers say associations of African women in film, cheaper digital technology to make films and the increased use of television for film distribution have also created more opportunities for women.
FESPACO continues until Saturday, when one film will receive the festival's top prize, called the Golden Stallion of Yennenga.
The prize is named after a fabled warrior daughter of a 12th Century West African king who helped her father in battle.
Since the prize was awarded in 1972, none of the 17 winners have been women.
March 01, 2007
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