TOP 20 emerging filmmakers have been shortlisted for the finals of the ‘African Folktales, Reimagined’ competition, according to the joint-orgamisers UNESCO and Netflix.
The finalists will now proceed to the next round of mentorship by professionals se;ected from sic countries, stated the organisers; disclosing that the quality of submissions received resulted in one extra candidate being added to the list, making it 21 filmmakers.
Over 2080 applications from across the continent in multiple languages were selected through a rigorous evaluation process by a wide range of industry professionals from across the continent, state the organisers, who affirmed that the shortlist contains a dynamic group of African creatives from 13 countries.
The shortlisted filmmakers include (in no particular order):
Nosa Igbinedion (Nigeria);
Ebot Tanyi (Cameroon);
Loukman Ali (Uganda);
Tongryang Pantu (Nigeria);
Walt Mzengi (Tanzania);
Venance Soro (Côte d’Ivoire);
Mark Wambui (Kenya);
Volana Razafimanantsoa (Madagascar);
Mohamed Echkouna (Mauritania);
Nader Fakhry (Côte d’Ivoire);
Anne Catherine Tchokonté (Cameroon);
Mphonyana Mokokwe (Botswana);
Anita Abada (Nigeria);
Samuel Kanyama (Zambia);
Machérie Ekwa-Bahango (Democratic Republic of Congo);
Oprah Oyugi (Kenya);
Ndiyathemba Modibedi (South Africa);
Gcobisa Yako (South Africa);
Akorede Azeez (Nigeria);
Katya Aragão (São Tomé and Príncipe);
Voline Ogutu (Kenya).
The 21 emerging filmmakers will go on to the next phase of the competition where they will be required to pitch their stories to a judging panel comprising of the mentors; Femi Odugbemi, (Nigeria); Bongiwe Selane, (South Africa); Leila Afua Djansi, (Ghana); David Tosh Gitonga (Kenya); and Jean Luc Herbulot (Congo. Representatives from Netflix and UNESCO will act as guides in the process.
The panel will select the final six filmmakers who will receive a production grant of US$75,000 (through a local production company) to develop, shoot and post-produce their films under the guidance of Netflix and industry mentors to ensure everyone involved in the production is fairly compensated. Each of the six winners will also receive $25,000.
UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, Ernesto Ottone R. has congratulated the shortlisted, and urged them to “be proud of the quality of their work.” He stressed that the competition “showcases the extraordinary cultural richness that Africa has to offer that we want to share with people all over the world, as Africa is a priority for UNESCO.”
Ben Amadasun, Netflix Director of Content in Africa said, “We also want to thank our panel of independent industry professionals who undertook the mammoth task to read over 2080 applications until they found 21 strong submissions! The response from all the aspiring filmmakers who took time to submit their application also proves that there’s a wealth of storytelling potential and talent in Africa and we at Netflix are excited to be part of this journey for more talented new voices to share their stories with the world.”
