Film Africa Partnership with Film Education
Film Africa 2012 has greatly expanded its educational activities for schools and young people. In this year’s festival edition, we have partnered with Film Education to hold eighteen nation-wide screenings of the beautiful animation Cilia Sawadogo’s Tree of Spirits, by Cilia Sawadogo. Set in Burkina Faso, it touches on universal themes such as the environment and friendship.
Film Africa 2012 is also holding screenings for schools at The Ritzy and Hackney Picturehouse of Inside Story, aimed at Key Stage 3 students. This remarkable South African production, made in partnership with Discovery Channel tells the inspiring story of Kalu, a young soccer player, and his struggles and triumphs as he confronts the challenges of HIV, ultimately realizing that knowledge is power.
Film Africa Co-Directors Lindiwe Dovey and Namvula Rennie say: “We are absolutely delighted that Film Africa 2012 and Film Education are partnering over the nation-wide screenings of this wonderful African film during National Schools Film Week. Film is a powerful tool for education and cross-cultural awareness, and for us to be able to give so many young people access to an African film is a fantastic opportunity to help showcase the cultural wealth of the continent and to bring Africa to the consciousness of the younger generation in a positive way which will perhaps challenge them to think about the continent differently. We are particularly pleased to be working with Film Education this year as we are placing a greater emphasis on reaching out to young people and on our educational programme. We look forward to a continued partnership with Film Education in future editions of the festival.”
The partnership between Film Africa 2012 and Film Education is an invaluable contribution to the core aims of Film Africa which are to celebrate the wealth, quality and diversity of African cinema, to contribute to the mainstreaming of African cinema in the UK and to help challenge widespread perceptions about Africa by giving space for different stories about the continent to emerge.
