The land of honest men has once again honored African cinema with the organization of the 26th edition of FESPACO. This anniversary edition, organized around the theme "Memory and Future of African Cinema," took place from February 23 to March 2.
This year, 165 films from 26 African countries were included in the official selection. Feature films, short films, documentaries, and TV series competed during the eight-day event, as well as animated films, which entered the competition for the first time in the festival's history. In total, more than 30 awards were presented to filmmakers from the continent and the diaspora.
The Rwandan film "The Mercy of the Jungle" wins the Etalon d'Or
Spotlight on Rwandan cinema with Joël Karekezi's film "The Mercy of the Jungle," which won the Etalon d'Or de Yennenga at the 26th FESPACO. Here is the complete list of winners for the 2019 edition:
- Yennenga Gold Medal: "The Mercy of the Jungle" by Joël Karekezi (Rwanda)
- Silver Stallion: "Karma" by Khaled Youssef (Egypt)
- Bronze Stallion: "Fatwa" by Ben Mohmound (Tunisia)
- Best Actor Award: Marc Zinga, for "The Mercy of the Jungle" (Rwanda)
- Best Actress: Samantha Mugotsia, for "Rafiki" (Kenya)
Best Screenplay: "Regarde-moi" (Look at Me), by Nejib Belkadhi (Tunisia) - Cinematography: "Mabata Bata" by Joan Luis Sol de Carvalho (Mozambique)
- Sound: "Karma," by Khaled Youssef (Egypt)
- Music: "Sew the Winter to My Skin" by Jahmil X.t. Qubeka, South Africa
- Production Design: "Desrances" by Apolline Traore (Burkina Faso)
- Editing: "Mabata Bata" by Joan Luis Sol de Carvalho (Mozambique)
- Oumarou Ganda Award for Best First Film: "Jusqu'à la fin des temps" (Until the End of Time) by Yasmine Chouikh (Algeria)
- Golden Foal for Best Short Fiction Film: "Black Mamba" by Amel Guellaty (Tunisia)
- Etalon d'or for Best Feature-Length Documentary: "Le loup d'or de Balolé" (The Golden Wolf of Balolé) by Aïcha Boro Leterrier (Burkina Faso)
- Golden Foal Award for Best Short Documentary: "Against All Odds" by Charity Resian Nampaso and Andrea Iannetta (Kenya/Italy)
- TV series: "Little stories, big reality" by Ambrose B. Cooke (Ghana)
- Animation: "Briska" by Nadia Raïs (Tunisia)
The list of special awards can be found here
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Beyond the awards, this edition was marked by a series of announcements and project launches aimed at supporting the development of cinema on the continent.
Senegalese filmmaker Alain Gomis, winner of the Etalon d'Or in 2018, took advantage of this new edition of FESPACO to present the Yennenga Center, an incubator for cinema and audiovisual arts for young talent. This new structure based in Dakar will be dedicated to training, creation, and distribution in the fields of cinema and audiovisual arts. Through this new project, founder Alain Gomis aims to identify and support young talent in the sector in the development of their projects.
During an evening dedicated to filmmaker Idrissa Ouédraogo, the famous Burkinabe director who died on February 18, 2018, the Burkinabe Minister of Culture and the director of the Canal Olympia in Ouagadougou announced that the Pissy theater would now be renamed "Canal Olympia Idrissa Ouédraogo" in tribute to the director. During the event,
also announced the signing of a partnership aimed at developing online training in audiovisual professions in Africa. This partnership combines the educational expertise of the INA, its network of professionals, and its catalog of training courses in audiovisual and digital media professions with LAFAAAC's expertise in producing training programs.
Read: Interview with Olivier Pascal, Director General of LAFAAAC
On the sidelines of the festival, Louise Mushikiwabo, the new Secretary General of the OIF, inaugurated the opening of a Francophonie Multimedia Center in Ouagadougou with the Burkinabe Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alpha Barry. This center, renovated with the support of the OIF, will provide pupils, students, and researchers with a place for culture, training, and access to digital technology.