The Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) has announced it final selection for the 2013 film programme. Coming on the heels of the surprise withdrawal of the last week of the 'Half of a Yellow Sun' from the programme, The AFRIFF programme line up did not disappoint, annoucing the inclusion of solid titles like 'Mother of George', 'Virgin Magarida', 'Confusion Na wa' etc.
Speaking on selecting films for the programme, Keith Shiri, festival Programmer and Jury Coordinator, had this to say. “ With so many entries and very few slots available it sometimes can become a daunting task to decide what to select and what to keep out. It was indeed a hard process. As we were inundated with amazing films from many parts of the continent. This year’s programme works in many levels from Andrew Dosunmu’s dazzling array of rich colours in his visually pleasing Mother of George to Chika Anadu’s B for Boy a debut feature and realist drama that questions Nigeria’s gender divide. The festival also spans the continent and generic boundaries with the South African Jahmil Qubeka’s Of Good Report, a compelling and insightful journey into the mind of a trouble school teacher to the Senegalese Alain Gomis’ Tey, a phatasmic, beautiful film that playfully awakens and engages the subconscious mind through its rhythm, poetry and imagination. The young talented Nigerian director Kenneth Gyang contributes with his Confusion Na Wa an award-winning feature about lust, infidelity and friendship. These are exciting times for African cinema, where by embracing the digital revolution filmmakers are molding their own narratives to demonstrate that a new era is indeed upon us, characterized by the originality and diversity in the short film category as well as a handful of students’ short films. We also have a generous selection of documentaries from President Dia, an outstanding documentary on loyalty and betrayal between two of the most iconic figures in Senegalese recent history to Africa Shafted, a groundbreaking documentary that chronicles the tragic reality of xenophobia in downtown Johannesburg as Africans from every corner of the continent convey their stories, filmed in one of Africa’s tallest buildings. I hope you enjoy the screenings as well as finding some moments to appreciate the special beauty of Calabar".
Feature Films Competition
1. Inumber Number (South Africa)
2. Felix (South Africa)
3. Durban Poison (South Africa)
4. La Pirogue (Senegal)
5. B for Boy (Nigeria)
6. Lies Men Tell (Nigeria)
7. Have a Nice Day (Nigeria)
8. Clouds over Conakry (Guinea/France) - Out of competition
9. The Flower Girl (Nigeria)
10. One Man Show (Nigeria/france)
11. The Meeting (Nigeria)
12. Confusion Nawa (Nigeria)
13. Layla Fourie (South Africa)
14. Tey (Nigeria)
15. Of The Good Report (South Africa)
16. Brother’s Keeper (Nigeria)
17. Tall as a Baobab (Senegal/USA)
18. Under Starry Eyes (Senegal)
19. Mother of George (Nigeria)
20. The Great Kilapy (Angola)
21. Finding Mercy (Nigeria)
22. Virgin Margarida (Mozambique)
Documentaries Competition
1. Camarada Presidente (Zimbabwe/Mozambique)
2. Africa Shafted (South Africa)
3. Devil’s Liar (South Africa)
4. Daughters of the Niger Delta (Nigeria)
5. The Virgin, the Copts and Me ( Tunisia/France)
6. The Man Who Wanted to Move Mountains (Burkina Faso)
7. AfriqueCannes (UK)
8. President Dia (Senegal)
9. Joy Its Nina (UK/Nigeria)
10. Drama Consult (Germany/Nigeria)
11. The Hillside Crowd (Burkina Faso)
12. The Lost Tribe (Nigeria)
13. A Thousand Suns (Senegal)
14. Pamoko (Canada/Tanzania)
15. A Life with a Temporary Suspension of Deportation (Germany)
16. Creation in exile (Italy)
Shorts Competition
1. Love Prevails (UK)
2. Love at First Sight (UK)
3. Mas’q (UK)
4. Haunted Souls (Kenya)
5. Ogondah (Nigeria)
6. Unspoken (UK)
7. Wages (Nigeria)
8. Beleh (Cameroun)
9. One Year After (Romania) – out of competition
10. Yellow Fever (Kenya)
11. The Promise (US/Nigeria)
12. Kwaku Ananse (Ghana)
13. Security (South Africa)
14. Twaaga (Burkina faso)
15. Adamt (Ethiopia)
16. Dark Days of Kwanele (Nigeria)
17. A Year After (Cameroun)
18. Five (USA)
19. Down and Out (Nigeria)
20. Kuhani (USA)
21. Murtala Walks (Nigeria)
22. Crazy Love (Nigeria)
23. Free State (Zimbabwe)
24. La Radio (Cameroun)
Student Shorts Competition
1. Sodiq (UK/Nigeria)
2. Inflitration (Nigeria)
3. Retributiion (Nigeria)
4. Protect Us (Nigeria)
5. One Night (Nigeria)
6. Mission Possible (Nigeria)
7. Patriot (Nigeria)
8. Talking Drum (Nigeria)
