AfryKamera, the only festival in Poland dedicated exclusively to African cinema, has been a significant platform for showcasing African films and culture since its inception in 2006, according to the organizers.
Organized by the FilmGramm Foundation, the festival has garnered widespread media attention and public interest, reflecting a growing fascination with African themes among Polish audiences.
This year's festival will offer over 20 feature and short films, both fiction and documentary.
It aims to support emerging female filmmakers while acknowledging the achievements of more established artists.
In addition to film screenings, the festival will feature debates, meetings with directors and actors, workshops, and music.
Notable screenings include Ousmane Sembene's Mandabi/The Money Order and Black Girl. Sembene, a Senegalese director and writer known as the father of African cinema, explored themes such as colonialism, independence, and social inequality in his works.
The two films are seminal examples in African cinematic history, delving into issues such as bureaucracy, corruption and social inequalities.
The festival also showcases other important works like Afrique Sur Seine by Paulin Soumanou Vieyra, a pioneering documentary exploring the African community's life in Paris; a 1975 short entitled Les Princes noirs de Saint-Germain-des-Prés by Ben Diogaye Beye, highlighting the experiences of black intellectuals and artists in Paris; and Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris by Terence Dixon, a documentary featuring the influential writer and activist James Baldwin.
AfryKamera will conclude the city's festival season and include an online showing on VOD Warsaw during the Christmas break from December 17 to 26.
The festival's commitment to exploring new avenues in African cinematography, art, music and culture has positioned it as a unique and influential event, not just in Poland, but in the broader realm of highly-regarded international film festivals, the organizers said.
(rt/gs)
Source: afrykamera.pl
