It is a widely shared observation that women are still underrepresented in the African audiovisual and film industry.
In order to support women's initiatives in the film and audiovisual sectors, the French Embassy in Senegal, under the leadership of Séraphine Angoula, announced a few months ago the creation of the Maïssa Fund, which is also supported by the OIF.
This fund aims to reduce gender inequality, promote female leadership, and strengthen women's integration into the workforce.
Sixty-four projects were submitted during the call for proposals, which closed last March, and the MAISSA Fund selected seven: five from Senegal, one from Guinea, and one from Mauritania:
Feature films by Senegalese directors Angèle DIABANG, Iman DJIONNE, and Fagamou NDIAYE.
The Fund has also agreed to finance a project to incubate series writing by women, led by producer Kalista Sy, and a pan-African writing residency program designed by director Binetou FAYE.
The last two projects selected are festivals conceived by Amina Ndoye and Aissa Diaby, respectively.
These seven projects will enable the mechanisms of the Maïssa Fund to be tested before new initiatives are selected to receive funding and support. The fund's selection committee will meet again in October 2024 to choose other initiatives.
The selection committee was composed of: Fanta Bouba Hemeryck, Salomé Hanna, and Frank Kana.