By Lola Kenya screen Press
Published September 16, 2008
Lola Kenya Screen, eastern Africa’s premier audiovisual media platform for children and youth, has since 2006 showcased more than 1200 films from 71 nations representing all the six continents in various genres, formats and lengths. Additionally, Lola Kenya Screen has helped add 31 child filmmakers, 14 journalists, 13 film judges, 7 MCs, 15 producers of television drama for children and youth and 6 producers of documentary films for children and youth to eastern Africa’s creative and cultural spectrum.
The 3rd Lola Kenya Screen (August 11-16, 2008), attracted participation from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, with all participants coming in to watch the wide variety of films from 56 nations and to be equipped with skills for making films, appreciating and judging audiovisual media production, presenting programmes and filing daily reports on the festival. The festival venues included the Kenya National Theatre, Alliance Francaise and several video halls in the Kibera residential neighbourhood.
Established in October 2005 as a movement that uses appropriate and available technologies to deliver audiovisual media content that complements, enhances, entertains and promotes learning among the generation of today and tomorrow—children and youth—in the promotion of literacy, gender equity, independent thought, human rights, environmental responsibility and global health.
Through her programmes, Lola Kenya Screen explores, identifies and nurtures creative talent among children and youth in areas such as journalism, filmmaking, arts appraisal and appreciation, and organisation and presentation of cultural and creative events. This is aimed at equipping children and youth with the skills to understand, appreciate, and create quality audiovisual productions in particular and arts in general.
Lola Kenya Screen places production tools in the hands of children and youth for the advancement of literacy, gender equity, self expression, and democracy in their world through her production workshop, film exhibition, and audiovisual media platform for marketing, promoting and distributing films.
While the Festival Press is aimed at uplifting the standards of creative and cultural journalism in eastern Africa, the Production Workshop empowers children and youth to make at least five quality, low-budget, moving images per year. In 2008, this programme was made possible with the support of Africalia of Belgium.
Out of the recognition that unless adults are sensitised into creating for and with children, the aim of putting children and youth on the public agenda could become a cropper, Lola Kenya Screen 2008 also worked with practising filmmakers in the production of documentaries for children and youth. This was made possible with the support of the Jan Vrijman Fund/IDFA of The Netherlands.
Programme Presentation, as the title suggest, empowers children and youth to organise and present events and programmes. Such children are usually in charge of the programme during the six days of the festival.
The Film Jury, on the other hand, seeks to inculcate in participants skills with which to critically appreciate and appraise creativity in general and film in particular. The jury members watch and award films in competition. The official Lola Kenya Screen Jury consists only of children and youth.
The next edition of Lola Kenya Screen will run in Nairobi, Kenya, August 10-15, 2009.
A Lola Kenya Screen (www.lolakenyascreen.org) article