The Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) took place this year from October 16 to 23, with the theme "CINEMAS OF AFRICA AND THE DIASPORA, NEW PERSPECTIVES, NEW CHALLENGES."
Fifty-six countries were represented at this major film festival. The event also welcomed 1,500 industry professionals and 800 media outlets for 239 selected films.
In the most prestigious category, 17 films representing 15 African countries were included in the official selection. This year, the jury was chaired by Mauritanian director and producer Abderrahmane Sissako, winner of the César Award for Best Film for Timbuktu in 2015.
Here are the official winners:
- The Fespaco Golden Stallion was awarded to a film by Somali director Ahmed Khadar entitled "The Gravedigger's Wife" (Egypt).
- Best TV Series Award: Walabok, comment va la jeunesse ? by Fatoumata Kane (Senegal) – Samantha Biffot won second prize with "Mami wata: le mystère d'Iveza"
- Best animated film, "Akplokplobito," by Ingrid Agbo (Togo)
- Best Female Filmmaker in West Africa: Aïcha Macky for her documentary film "Zinder" (Niger)
- ECOWAS Special Prize for Best West African Film: "Les trois lascars" by Boubacar Diallo (Burkina Faso)
- Thomas Sankara Award for Short Film: "Tuk-Tuk" by Mohamed Kheidr (Egypt).
The complete list of winners
During his speech, FESPACO Director General Alex Moussa Sawadogo announced the dates of the next edition, which will take place from February 25 to March 4, 2023, in Ouagadougou.