By Ogova Ondego
Published December 15, 2014
East Africans have till January 15, 2015 to submit their short, documentary and fiction films to the inaugural Mashariki African Film Festival (MAFF) of Rwanda that is scheduled for March 8 – 14, 2015 in Kigali.
MAFF, held on the theme, Africa: We Cherish Our Stories, expects the films selected to “offer a nostalgic experience and bring forth ‘many down memory lanes’.
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“We will tag on the audience’s sentimentalities and motivate them to share the African stories experience,†says Joel Karekezi, the Festival Director of MAFF.
While saying only “the best films will be screened during the festival”, Karekezi says this action “will support the creative cultural expression while introducing film as a business.”
Karekezi says MAFF is “not only interested in the quantum of numbers but also in the quality of films that will be submitted to the festival. MAFF will provide a platform for expression for both established and emerging talent in feature, documentary and short film genres while seeking to reach a wider audience.”
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MAFF, while seeking to celebrate African achievements in filmmaking, shall recognise exemplary performance and encourage innovation, creativity and interaction among film lovers, Karekezi says.
“Among the activities we have lined up to bolster filmmaking in Rwanda and East Africa include workshops, film screenings, training in sound production, peer networking and mentorship”, he says.
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Bintresor Senga, the President of MAFF, says his festival is planning to “organise a two-week production workshop from which we will realise four short films. We are aiming to have 14 Rwandan participants and all the film will be screened at the closing ceremony of MAFF.”
