![]() | |
Location | Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso |
---|---|
Founded | 1969 |
Festival date | 25 February - 5 March 2023 |
Website | FESPACO |
FESPACO 2023 is the 28th edition of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou. It took place from 25 February to 4 March 2023 in Ouagadougou. The theme of the edition was “African Cinema and Culture of Peace".[1]
It was initially announced that the guest country of honour was Togo,[2] but during the installation ceremony of the members of the National Organizing Committee, Fidèle Tamini, the secretary general of the Ministry of Culture, announced that “in view of challenges of the moment, there is no better partner than Mali to be the guest country of honour."[3]
A total of 170 films were selected from about 1200 submissions to compete in 11 categories.[4]
Progress
[edit]Preparation
[edit]The general delegate Alex Moussa Sawadogo, unveiled the official selection during a press conference in Ouagadougou on 13 January 2023. He announced that the estimated budget for the 2023 edition was approximately 2 billion CFA francs.[5]
The selection committee was made up of African cinema professionals including:
- Pedro Pimenta - Mozambican producer
- Lina Chabanne - Tunisian producer
- Guy Désiré Yaméogo - Burkinabé producer
- Laza Razanajatovo - Malagasy filmmaker
- Claire Diao - Burkinabé film critic and distributor
- Farah Clémentine Dramani-Issoufou - Beninois programmer and researcher
- Enoka Julien Ayemba - Cameroonian film researcher and critic
- Hawa Essuman - Kenyan director
The Yennenga Workshops aiming to support fims in the post-production phase and to promote the immersion of aspiring cinema professional swas launched. The Yennenga Post-production jury was chaired by South African director and producer Tiny Mungwe.[6]
As part of the Yennenga workshops, FESPACO launched the first edition of the French-speaking Africa Coproduction Market called “Yennenga Coproduction”, dedicated to feature-length fiction film projects seeking partners, particularly financial ones, with fifteen directors or producers established in the French-speaking countries of West and Central Africa. 17 feature film fiction projects were selected.[7] The 2023 edition of the Yennenga Academy was supported by Nigerien filmmaker, Aïcha Macky.[8]
On 15 September, the United States Embassy donated computers, screens and printers to FESPACO worth more than 16 million CFA francs.[9]
On 15 February, 2023, the Burkinabè National Lottery (LONAB) offered 50 million to FESPACO for the organization of the 28th edition.[10]
Context
[edit]Preparations for the 28th FESPACO were marred by security concerns. The organizing committee however assured the attending public that security measures were put in place to ensure a "secure FESPACO".[4] The announcement to maintain the 28th edition on the planned date was made on December 1, 2022, a decision taken by the President of the Transition “who notes significant progress in the preparations”.[4]
The Official Poster
[edit]This poster designed by El Marto represents the legendary figure of Sarraounia to illustrate the theme “African Cinema and Culture of Peace”. Sarraounia means queen in Hausa. This name was given to an Amazon, political and religious leader of the village of Lougou in Niger, who opposed the Voulet-Chanoine mission. She is the subject of the 1986 film Sarraounia based on the novel of the same name by Nigerien writer Abdoulaye Mamani.[11] The film won the Etalon de Yennenga in 1987.
According to the FESPACO communication, the poster is “a symbol of African pride, resistance, and resilience” which “emphasizes a fighter with her warrior attributes at a time when we must highlight the Forces of Defense and Security and the Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland, to salute their sacrifice, their courage and their patriotic commitment”.[12]
Opening Ceremony
[edit]The opening ceremony took place on Saturday February 25 at the Palais des Sports de Ouaga 2000 with the show I have a dream by choreographer Serge Aimé Coulibaly. The Burkinabe prime minister, Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla and the Malian prime minister, Choguel Kokalla Maïga jointly gave the traditional opening clap.[13]
During the professional opening in the evening, the film Bravo, Burkina! by Nigerian director and designer Walé Oyéjidé, which reminds us how interconnected the world was screened. [14][15]
Highlights
[edit]Two new statues were inaugurated on avenue Monseigneur Thévenoud from the filmmakers' square in front of the central town hall depicting the Malian filmmaker Cheick Oumar Sissoko and the Nigerien filmmaker Oumarou Ganda.[16]
A bust of Ousmane Sembène was unveiled in front of the FESPACO headquarters on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of his birth. His bust joins that of another Senegalese director, Paulin Soumanou Vieyra which was installed in 2017.[17]
A week before the festival, free open-air sessions were organized for those displaced by terrorism in the town of Kaya, as well as during FESPACO in the districts of Bassinko, Pissy, Dassasgho and on the Place de la Nation in the city center. After FESPACO, the traditional mini-FESPACO was held in Bobo-Dioulasso.[18] This was followed by another edition from March 15 to 25 in Banfora with the theme of the role of internally displaced persons in the management of the security crisis.[19]
Juries
[edit]The juries were composed of African cinema personalities thus:
- Tunisian producer Dora Bouchoucha chaired the Feature Film Jury, made up of Abdoulaye Konaté, Michèle Rakotoson, Licínio Azevedo, Khadar Ayderus Ahmed, Odile Sankara and Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese.
- South African producer Steven Markovitz chaired the Feature Documentary jury, made up of Dieudo Hamadi, Christophe Konkobo, Hicham Falah, N'Goné Fall, Jessica and Kidi Aïcha Macky.
- Nigerian director Kunle Afolayan chairs the Perspectives jury, made up of Rabih El-Khoury, Wendy Bashi, Karim Aïtouna and Issiaka Konaté.
- Former FESPACO general delegate Ardjouma Soma chaired the jury of the Burkina section, made up of Dr Dorothée Dognon, Pocas Pascoal, Fargass Assandé and Aboubacar Demba Cissokho.
- Cameroonian director Françoise Ellong-Gomez chaired the FESPACO shorts jury, made up of Boureima Salouka, Souleymane Kebe, Hirst Shebat and Glasgow-Maeda Neigeme.
- Ivorian-Guadeloupean producer Gnama Baddy Dega chaired the TV series/animation jury, made up of Toumani Sangaré, Daniel Atchali, Séraphine Angoula and Kandy Guira.
- Cape Verdean producer Pedro Soulé chaired the film school film jury, made up of Raymond M. Tiendrebeogo, Jacqueline Murekeyisoni, Sitou Ayité and Andrey Diarra.
Masterclass, Forum debates and round tables
[edit]Masterclasses were organized with:
- Souleymane Cissé and Gaston Kaboré for fiction
- Jean-Marie Teno and Michel K. Zongo for documentary
- Dora Bouchoucha and Steven Markovitz for production
- Samantha Biffot and Fatou Kandé Senghor for TV series
- Maurice H. Ouedraogo, Martine Somé and Pathé Ouedraogo for costume design
Every morning at the professional space, debate forums allowed the audience and festival participants to meet filmmakers and discuss their films.
Roundtable discussions covered the following themes:
- Scriptwriting, adaptation and novelization: How to pool resources and skills to support literature, cinema, and audiovisuals in Africa?
- The presence of the Diaspora at FESPACO: A historical and critical reflection.
- FESPACO in the Diaspora: Connections with international festivals and proposals for an integrated future.
- On the occasion of the centenary of Sembène Ousmane's birth, for a critical approach to his work (African Federation of Film Critics).
- Sankofa Challenge - The Movie.
- FEPACI on film restoration.
- South-South and global co-productions.
- Film markets in Africa and beyond - what opportunities for creators?
Selection
[edit]Feature fiction films
[edit]Fifteen films from thirteen countries competed for the Yennenga Gold Standard. Eight were made by women.
Title | Director | Country | Duration |
---|---|---|---|
Abu Saddam | Nadine Khan | ![]() |
89 |
Ashkal | Youssef Chebbi | ![]() |
92 |
Bantu Mama | Ivan Herrera | ![]() |
77 |
Mami Wata | CJ "Fiery" Obasi | ![]() |
107 |
Maputo Nakuzandza | Ariadine Zampaulo | ![]() |
60 |
My father, the devil | Ellie Foumbi | ![]() |
108 |
Our Lady of The Chinese Shop | Ery Claver | ![]() |
98 |
Shimoni | Angela Wamai | ![]() |
97 |
Simin Zetwal (Looking at the stars) | David Constantine | ![]() |
92 |
Sira | Apolline Traore | ![]() |
120 |
The Blue Caftan | Maryam Touzani | ![]() |
123 |
The Last Queen | Damien Ounouri | ![]() |
113 |
The Planter's Plantation | Dingha Eystein Young | ![]() |
114 |
Under the Fig Trees | Erige Sehiri | ![]() |
92 |
Xalé, the Wounds of Childhood | Moussa Sene Absa | ![]() |
101 |
Feature-length documentaries
[edit]Title | Director | Country | Duration |
---|---|---|---|
Original Paradise ( Al Djanat ) | Chloé Aïcha Boro | ![]() |
85 |
Pick Me ( Amchilini ) | Kader Allamine | ![]() |
68 |
In the Film Cemetery | Thierno Souleymane Diallo | ![]() |
93 |
Doxandem, the dream chasers | Saliou Sarr | ![]() |
88 |
Fatima - a short life | Hakim El Hachoumi | ![]() |
80 |
Guardian of the worlds | Leila Chaïbi | ![]() |
91 |
Geology of Separation | Yosr Gasmi and Mauro Mazzocchi | ![]() |
152 |
I Remain a Photographer | Ananias Leki Dago | ![]() |
67 |
Money, freedom, a history of the CFA franc | Katy Léna N'Diaye | ![]() |
100 |
MK, Mandela's secret army | Osvalde Lewat | ![]() |
61 |
Lagos Tangier, One Way ( No U-Turn ) | Ike Nnaebue | ![]() |
94 |
We, Students! | Rafiki Fariala | ![]() |
82 |
Omi Nobu ( The New Man ) | Carlos Yuri Ceuninck | ![]() |
67 |
Gold of Life | Boubacar Sangaré | ![]() |
90 |
Short film fiction (FESPACO shorts 1)
[edit]Short film documentaries (FESPACO shorts 2)
[edit]Title | Director | Country | Duration |
---|---|---|---|
Blind Spot | Lotfi Achour | ![]() |
13 |
Burkina Babes | Kagho Idhebor | ![]() |
7 |
Cuba in Africa | Negash Abdurahman | ![]() |
22 |
Katanga Nation | Beza Hailu Lemma | ![]() |
27 |
Kelasi | Fransix Tenda Lomba | ![]() |
10 |
Villa Reynette: cement and love | Evelyne Agli | ![]() |
16 |
The Riders of Tonka | Mohamed Dayfour Diawara | ![]() |
11 |
Louvri pou mwen (Open for me ) | Jess Di Pierro Obert | ![]() |
17 |
Madame Pipi | Rachelle Salnave | ![]() |
25 |
Just a smile mother (Mama dan que soriso ) | Cyrielle Raingou | ![]() |
18 |
Xaar Yàlla (Waiting for God ) | Mamadou Khouma Gueye | ![]() |
25 |
Perspective (feature-length fiction and documentaries)
[edit]Title | Director | Country | Duration |
---|---|---|---|
The Desert Rocker | Sarah Nacer | ![]() |
75 |
The Specter of Boko Haram | Cyrielle Raingou | ![]() |
75 |
The Scarified | Wabinle Nadie | ![]() |
65 |
African Moot | Shameela Seedat | ![]() |
85 |
Annatto | Fatima Boubakdy | ![]() |
103 |
Can They See Us | Kenny Mumba | ![]() |
90 |
The Sheep of Saada | Pope Bounam Lopy | ![]() |
75 |
Otiti | Ema Edosio | ![]() |
93 |
Sadrack | Narcissus Wandji | ![]() |
94 |
Tooth for tooth | Ottis Ba | ![]() |
87 |
Soula | Salah Issaad | ![]() |
92 |
Panorama: feature films
[edit]Title | Director | Country | Duration |
---|---|---|---|
Alone in a Strange World (fiction) | Joel Sansi | ![]() |
103 |
Bangarang (fiction) | Robin Odongo | ![]() |
88 |
Thorns of the Sahel (fiction) | Boubakar Diallo | ![]() |
92 |
Gravity (fiction) | Cedric Ido | ![]() |
85 |
The Ideal Job (fiction) | Gilbert Djoliba Bararmna-Boukpessi | ![]() |
96 |
The Pantheon of Joy (fiction) | Jean Odoutan | ![]() |
97 |
The Umbrella Men ( fiction) | John Barker | ![]() |
115 |
Bobi Wine: The People's President (documentary) | Moses Bwayo | ![]() |
121 |
The Taxi, The Cinema and Me (documentary) | Salam Zampaligré | ![]() |
69 |
Maayo Wonaa Keerol ( The River is Not a Border ) (documentary) | Alassane Diago | ![]() |
105 |
Min al Qahira (From Cairo) (documentary) | Hala Galal | ![]() |
63 |
Rewind and Play (documentary) | Alain Gomis | ![]() |
65 |
Xaraasi Xanne ( The Crossed Voices ) (documentary) | Boubou Toure | ![]() |
120 |
Nayola (fiction, animation) | José Miguel Ribeiro | ![]() |
83 |
Burkina section (feature fiction and documentary films)
[edit]Title | Director | Country | Duration |
---|---|---|---|
Laabli the Elusive (documentary) | Luc Youlouka Damiba | ![]() |
72 |
The Gallop (documentary) | Eléonore Yaméogo | ![]() |
80 |
The Sam Mory Affair (fiction) | Boubakar Diallo | ![]() |
90 |
The Sermon of the Prophets (fiction) | Seydou Boundaone | ![]() |
98 |
Madi and Saga (fiction) | Yacouba Napon | ![]() |
111 |
Malla, as far as the night lasts (fiction) | Dramane Ouedraogo | ![]() |
96 |
Burkina section (short fiction and documentary films)
[edit]Television series
[edit]Animated films
[edit]Films from African cinema schools
[edit]Prize list
[edit]Official selection
[edit]The prices on the official list represent a total of 108 million CFA francs.[20]
Feature fiction films
[edit]Prize | Winner | Country |
---|---|---|
Gold standard (20 M CFA francs) | Ashkal by Youssef Chebbi | ![]() |
Silver standard (10 M CFA francs) endowed and sponsored by the Delegation of the European Union | Sira by Apolline Traoré | ![]() |
Bronze standard (5 M CFA francs) | Shimoni by Angela Wamai | ![]() |
Special mention from the jury | Looking at the Stars by David Constantin | ![]() |
Best screenplay (3 M CFA francs) endowed and sponsored by TV5 Monde | The Blue Caftan by Maryam Touzani | ![]() |
Best image (1 M CFA francs) | Mami Wata by CJ "Fiery" Obasi | ![]() |
Best sound (1 M CFA francs) | Ashkal by Youssef Chebbi | ![]() |
Best music (1 M CFA francs) | Our Lady of the Chinese Shop by Ery Claver | ![]() |
Best decor (1 M CFA francs) | Mami Wata by CJ "Fiery" Obasi | ![]() |
Best editing (1 M CFA francs) | Abu Saddam by Nadine Khan | ![]() |
Best female performance and best male performance (1 M FCFA x 2) | All the actors in Under the Fig Trees by Erige Sehiri | ![]() |
Feature-length documentaries
[edit]Price | Winner | Country |
---|---|---|
Gold standard (10 M CFA francs) endowed and sponsored by the United Nations System in Burkina Faso | Omi Nobu / The new man by Carlos Yuri Ceuninck | ![]() |
Silver standard (5 M CFA francs) sponsored by LONAB | We, Students! by Rafiki Fariala | ![]() |
Bronze standard (3 M FCFA) | Guardian of the Worlds by Leïla Chaibi | ![]() |
Special mention | Money, Freedom, a History of the CFA franc by Katy Léna N'Diaye | ![]() |
Special mention | At the Cemetery by Thierno Souleymane Diallo | ![]() |
Fiction short films (Fespaco shorts 1)
[edit]Endowed and sponsored by the International Organization of La Francophonie.
Documentary short films (Fespaco shorts 2)
[edit]Perspectives Section
[edit]Prize | Winner | Country |
---|---|---|
Oumarou Ganda Prize for best first work or second work of feature-length fiction film (2 M CFA francs) | Soula by Salah Isaad | ![]() |
Paul Robeson Prize for best first work or second work of feature-length documentary film (2 M CFA francs) | Le spectre de Boko Haram by Cyrielle Raingou | ![]() |
Special mention | The Sheep of Saada by Pape Bounam Lopy | ![]() |
Burkina section
[edit]TV series, animation, African film from film schools
[edit]Special prize list
[edit]The special prizes were awarded on Friday March 3, 2023, the day before closing. 106 milion CFA francs were awarded in prizes.[21]
Prize | Winner | Country |
---|---|---|
Thomas Sankara Short Film Prize (Guild of Directors and Producers, 3 M CFA) | Cuba in Africa by Negash Abdurahman | ![]() |
ECOWAS special prize for integration for the Best West African film, 15 M CFA francs) | No U-Turn - A Journey from Lagos to Tangier by Ike Nnaebue | ![]() |
ECOWAS Prize for the Best West African Director (10 M CFA francs) | Sira by Apolline Traoré | ![]() |
ECOWAS Prize for the Best Film School Director (2 M CFA francs) | More Than a Duty by Mohamed Allabi | ![]() |
ECOWAS Prize for the Best Child actor or actress (1 M CFA francs) | Nguissaly Barry in Xalé, by Moussa Sene Absa | ![]() |
Special Prize Burkina International Plan for Equality for Girls for combativeness and innovation in favor of girls (5 M CFA francs) | The Planter's Plantation by Dingha Eystein Young | ![]() |
Special Prize Transitional Legislative Assembly of Burkina Faso (7 M CFA) | Sira by Apolline Traoré | ![]() |
Paulin Soumanou Vieyra African Critics Prize ( FACC ) | Mami Wata by CJ "Fiery" Obasi | ![]() |
UEMOA special prize for feature film fiction (8 M CFA francs) | Xalé, the childhood wounds of Moussa Sene Absa | ![]() |
UEMOA special prize for short fiction film (5 M CFA francs) | The Messenger of God by Amina A. Mamani | ![]() |
UEMOA special prize for feature documentary (8 M CFA francs) | The Riders of Tonka by Mohamed Dayfour Diawara | Mali |
UEMOA special prize for short documentary film (5 M CFA francs) | Al Djanat (Original Paradise) by Chloé Aïcha Boro | ![]() |
Ecobank Sembène Ousmane special prize (5 M CFA) | The Planter's Plantation by Dingha Eystein Young | ![]() |
Special prize from the Gambere Ernest Fund (2 M CFA francs) | The Messenger of God by Amina A. Mamani | ![]() |
LONAB Lucky Prize (5 M CFA) | The Messenger of God by Amina A. Mamani | ![]() |
Félix Houphouet-Boigny Prize from the Conseil de l’Entente (10 M CFA francs) | Sira by Apolline Traoré | ![]() |
Ababacar Samb Makharam price of the city of Ouagadougou (3 M CFA) | Al Djanat (Original Paradise) by Chloé Aïcha Boro | ![]() |
Wateraid Special Prize for Climate, Water and Sanitation in Africa (5 M CFA) | Sira by Apolline Traoré | ![]() |
Prize of the Burkina-Niger Episcopal Conference (2 M CFA francs) | The Messenger of God by Amina A. Mamani | ![]() |
Special price from the Laafi la Boumbou association (5 M CFA) | Sira, on the road by Fousseini Maïga | ![]() |
References
[edit]- ^ "Burkina: Le gouvernement maintient l'organisation de la 28ème édition du FESPACO – NetAfrique.net". netafrique.net. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ First, Togo. "Le Togo, invité d'honneur du FESPACO 2023". www.togofirst.com (in French). Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "FESPACO 2023 : Le Mali, pays invité d'honneur en lieu et place du Togo - leFaso.net". lefaso.net (in French). Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ a b c Kabore, Bernard (11 February 2023). "Sélection officielle FESPACO 2023 : 170 films retenus". LobsPaalga (in French). Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ SAWADOGO, Parfait Fabrice (13 January 2023). "FESPACO : la sélection officielle de l'édition 2023 désormais connue". Infos Culture du Faso (in French). Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "Murmures | Africultures : Le FESPACO lance la deuxième édition des Ateliers YENNENGA". Africultures (in French). Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "Murmures | Africultures : FESPACO 2023 : Résultats de l'appel à projet Yennenga Coproduction". Africultures (in French). Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ Bougouma, Etienne (31 January 2023). "Announcements of the Yennenga II results". FESPACO. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ Zamtako, Melika. "FESPACO 2023: The United States Embassy offers equipment estimated at more than 16 million CFA francs". archive.wikiwix.com. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ Bernard (15 February 2023). "LONAB: pluie de 50 millions FCFA sur le Fespaco". Wakat Séra (in French). Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Antoinette Tidjani Alou (Spring 2009). "Niger and Sarraounia: One Hundred Years of Forgetting Female Leadership". Research in African Literatures. 40 (1): 42–56. doi:10.2979/RAL.2009.40.1.42. JSTOR 30131185. S2CID 145389844.
- ^ Bougouma, Etienne (1 December 2022). "Fespaco 2023: Décryptage du visuel officiel". FESPACO (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ Sada, Go (26 February 2023). "Ça tourne". Fespaco news n°01.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|url=
(help) - ^ "Director's Statement". bravoburkina.com. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ "programme officiel" (PDF). Fespaco.org. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ Diallo, Tma (27 February 2023). "Cérémonie de libation : une tradition respectée, deux statues dévoilée". Fespaco news n°02.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|url=
(help) - ^ admin (26 February 2023). "FESPACO 2023: a statue in tribute to Ousmane Sembene unveiled". FESPACO. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Mini-FESPACO à Bobo-Dioulasso : le ministre de la Culture Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo lance la 3e édition". libreinfo.net. 12 March 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ Nina Ouédraogo (5 February 2023). "Commune de Banfora au Burkina : 2è édition du mini « FESPACO Banfora » du 15 au 25 mars 2023". aouaga.com. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "Murmures | Africultures : Le palmarès complet du FESPACO 2023". Africultures (in French). Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ B24, Rédaction (3 March 2023). "FESPACO 2023 : Le palmarès des prix spéciaux". Burkina24.com - Actualité du Burkina Faso 24h/24 (in French). Retrieved 21 March 2024.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)