PANEL: LEGACY & RESILIENCE
Aula der KHM Ticketshop
Through detailed and poignant storytelling, some of the films at this year's edition provide a lens into the solitary reflections of characters, the impact of grief, and the pathways toward healing. How do narratives of isolation and loss reflect and influence individual and collective identities? This panel delves into the intricate themes of legacy, resilience, solitude and grief within African cinema. This discussion aims to critically examine the cinematic techniques, narrative strategies, and the poetry used to convey solitude and grief, providing a deeper understanding of the resilience and emotional depth within African communities.
Language: English
Cooperation: Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln, Kiosk Arts Exchange e. V. & DW Akademie
Guests
Fradique is one of the leading directors of Angolan cinema. In 2020, he made his first feature film, AR CONDICIONADO, which was selected for the International Film Festival Rotterdam, among others. He is currently working on his second feature film HOLD TIME FOR ME and is curating for the AFFK.
Mamadou Dia is a Senegalese director who graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a master's degree in directing/screenwriting. His first feature film BAAMUM NAFI (2019) was the Senegalese Oscar entry for 2021 and has won numerous awards, including the prize for Best First Feature and the Golden Leopard in Locarno. At the AFFK 2021, it received the Audience Award for Best Feature Film. Dia's short film SAMEDI CINEMA (2016) received dozens of awards. Dia is co-founder of the production company Joyedidi, which organizes mobile film screenings throughout Senegal. DEMBA, his new film, celebrated its world premiere at BERLINALE 2024.
Pascale Appora-Gnekindy, originally from the Central African Republic (CAR), is the owner of Kéa-Kwis Production, a video production company in Bangui, CAR. She co-directed her first feature-length documentary EAT BITTER (2023) with Ning Yi Sun, a Chinese national living in New York. She has also directed two short documentaries, MES YEUX POUR ENTENDRE (2017) and DEUX SŒURS (2019). Pascale came to film production informally, from the IT world. In 2022, she initiated the "Ecrire à Bangui" film-writing workshop, the second edition of which took place in June-July 2024. She is currently studying for a master's degree in Audiovisual Production and Financing at the Institut Supérieur d'Etudes des Arts (IESA Arts&Culture) in Paris.
Born in Santo Antão, Cabo Verde (1976), he graduated from the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Television (EICTV), Cuba, with a specialization in Documentary Direction. His films have been shown in international film festivals like IDFA, Hot Docs or São Paulo International Film Festival. He won the Étalon d’or award at FESPACO for Best Feature Documentary (2023). His selected filmography includes the short documentaries TO BEEF OR NOT TO BEEF,THAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE ISLE MÙ" (2004) and DONA MÓNICA (2021) as well as the fictions THE MASTER’S PLAN (2021) and OMI NOBU (2023). He's a fellow of the Hot Docs Blue Ice Group, EFM DocSalon Toolbox program (Berlinale) and SDI (Scottish Documentary Institute) Connecting Stories program.