By Ogova Ondego
Published November 25, 2012
Making films for children and youth is a challenging field that calls for special skills and commitment. Unlike countries like Denmark, Finland, Norway and Germany, it is rare to find filmmakers in countries like Kenya who create films for children.
In an attempt to interest local audiovisual media practitioners to create with children and youth in mind, the 61st Lola Kenya Screen film forum (LKSff) at Goethe-Institut on November 26, 2012 at 6.00PM shall screen and discuss shorts made by, for, and with children and youth. While some of the films are made by children, others are made by amateurs and professionals.
The films lined up for screening and discussion–all from the Lola Kenya Screen archive that now boasts 2000 titles from 102 countries–are The Wise Bride (3’23”, Kenya), My Beautiful Dress (2’09”, Kenya),This is Me (10’00”, Kenya),Devourers of Books (29’00”, Poland), and St Mathurin’s School of Practical Joking (10’00”, Scotland).
Being the last official monthly Forum in 2012, the presenters of LKSff–ComMattersKenya/ArtMatters.Info in collaboration with Goethe-Institut in Kenya–have made it a special event.
LKSff is a specialised film screening, discussion and networking forum for practitioners in the eastern Africa audiovisual media sector. It is aimed at critiquing, encouraging and exploring ways of integrating film production in Kenya and eastern Africa with other socio-cultural and economic sectors in order to come up with a vibrant film industry.
Bringing together filmmakers, film critics, film writers, students, scholars, policy-makers, investors, entrepreneurs, funders, actors, actresses, social awareness groups, cultural agencies and other major players in the audiovisual media sector, LKSff is often one of the first places where new films can be seen and new talent spotted.
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The films exhibited and discussions arising from them are reviewed and published by the all-Africa creative and cultural portal–ArtMatters.Info–with a view to promoting them; the articles are picked by film festivals, media schools, international funding agencies, journalists and other mass media around the world.
LKSff, therefore, is a platform that brings together players in the audiovisual media sector to watch and discuss short films in eastern Africa, to exchange ideas on how to improve film production, to create a sustainable market for moving image products and service, and to network.
LKSff holds every last Monday of the month throughout the year. It is part of the Lola Kenya Screen (LKS) audiovisual media festival, skill-development programme and market for children and youth in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa region.
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To ensure that LKSff meets the aims and objectives for which it was set up in October 2005, it is STRICTLY “By-Invitation-Only” event. However, anyone interested in attending this Forum may request invitation by writing to lksff@lolakenyascreen.org/.
Some of the movies made by children and youth at Lola Kenya Screen are available at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_0wjFE5TbLA7o8RHqE1xZA/.
