Wednesday, February 17th, 14:00 / HAU 1: Shotgun Stories: African Cinema Attacks

Kunle Afolayan (The Figurine), Oliver Hermanus (Shirley Adams), Caroline Kamya (Imani, Berlinale Forum), Tom Tykwer (Produzent von Soul Boy, Berlinale Generation Special). Moderated by Dorothee Wenner. In cooperation with Heinrich Böll Foundation, Berlinale Forum and Berlinale Generation.

There’s a whole new generation of African filmmakers ready to shoot films which might blow our minds away: as they don’t match the image of African cinema that we are used to. Many young directors choose urban Africa as a location to tell stories of love and hate; they prefer hip hop to traditional drums in their scores and are eager to portray lifestyles yet to be discovered beyond Kampala, Johannesburg, Nairobi or Lagos. Although filmmaking in most African countries is more difficult than in other parts of the world, this new generation refuses to be silenced by those who try to control their work by means of funding, tough political oppression or simply due to lack of interest. The headwinds from home blow just as strongly as they do from countries in the North, but they aren‘t strong enough to stop this movement. This panel offers a platform to exchange ideas for the future of African cinema based on personal experiences, new strategies and individual films. It’s time for action: moving images can be used as sharp weaponry in a warfare against ignorance.

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