The Future is Africa Filmfestival from 29.06. – 04.07.2023 in Berlin
On Thursday, 29 June 2023, the second edition of the children and youth film festival The Future is Africa opens in Berlin with artistic contributions from the African continent and the African Diaspora.
This year, the festival’s focus lies on female perspectives in African Cinema – both by shining light on the diverse range of contemporary gendered realities and perspectives on the African continent and showcasing a wide selection of young female filmmakers. Running until 4 July, 22 films of various genres will be presented at two locations – IL KINO in Neukölln and Sinema Transtopia in Wedding.
The festival kicks off with the German premiere of the Senegalese Oscar entry Xalé by Moussa Sène Absa. The film is a relentless portrait of the hardships faced by many women in Senegal, sensitively conveying the pain and guilt that the patriarchal system can inflict. After Tableau Ferraille and L’Extraordinaire destin de Madame Brouette, Xalé is the director’s third film about strong female characters. The screening of the movie will be followed by a discussion with the director and June Givanni.
Two panel discussions with African filmmakers and representatives of migrant-diasporic perspectives will take place during the festival, thematically addressing gender inequality in the African film industry and across the world, while critically questioning the representation of women in film.
Free film screenings for school classes will be offered as part of the festival. Additionally, in cooperation with African film experts, workshops for school classes and youth associations are planned, which will support intercultural exchange and introduce young people to the art of cinema in practice.
The Future is Africa is a project of Christoph Schlingensief’s Opera Village Africa and is presented by Berlin Independents Guide, Himbeer Magazin, DADDY Magazin, Missy Magazin and taz. die tageszeitung as media partners. The festival is funded by The Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb) and the Film Festival Funding Program de⁺ of the Goethe-Institut in cooperation with the German Foreign Office. With support from Institut Français in Berlin and Berlinguists.