By Adedapo Adesanya
Four Nigerian filmmakers have made the shortlist of 21 candidates in the Netflix and UNESCO partnered short film competition titled African Folktales, Reimagined.
Initially created for 20 participants, the quality of submissions received resulted in one extra candidate being added to the list, out of which six winners will create short films that will be premiered on the streaming service.
The candidates were selected following a rigorous evaluation process by a wide range of industry professionals from across the continent who assessed over 2080 applications from across the continent in multiple languages.
The shortlist contains a dynamic group of African creatives from across 13 countries in the region.
The shortlisted filmmakers include (in no particular order): Nosa Igbinedion (Nigeria); Ebot Tanyi (Cameroon); Loukman Ali (Uganda); Tongryang Pantu (Nigeria); Walt Mzengi (Tanzania); Venance Soro (Côte d’Ivoire); Mark Wambui (Kenya); Volana Razafimanantsoa (Madagascar); Mohamed Echkouna (Mauritania); Nader Fakhry (Côte d’Ivoire); Anne Catherine Tchokonté (Cameroon); Mphonyana Mokokwe (Botswana); Anita Abada (Nigeria); Samuel Kanyama (Zambia); Machérie Ekwa-Bahango (Democratic Republic of Congo); Oprah Oyugi (Kenya); Ndiyathemba Modibedi (South Africa); Gcobisa Yako (South Africa); Akorede Azeez (Nigeria); Katya Aragão (São Tomé and Príncipe) and Voline Ogutu (Kenya).
The 21 emerging filmmakers will go on to the next phase of the competition where they will be required to pitch their stories to a judging panel comprising of the mentors; Nigeria’s Femi Odugbemi, South Africa’s Bongiwe Selane, Leila Afua Djansi from Ghana, David Tosh Gitonga from Kenya, and Jean Luc Herbulot from Congo as well as representatives from Netflix and UNESCO who will act as guides in the process.
The panel will select the final six filmmakers who will receive a production grant of $75,000 (through a local production company) to develop, shoot and post-produce their films under the guidance of Netflix and industry mentors to ensure everyone involved in the production is fairly compensated and which each of the six winners will also receive $25,000.
Speaking on this, Mr Ernesto Ottone, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture said, “Congratulations to those who have been shortlisted! They should all be proud of the quality of their work. This competition showcases the extraordinary cultural richness that Africa has to offer that we want to share with people all over the world, as Africa is a priority for UNESCO.”
On his part, Mr Ben Amadasun, Netflix Director of Content in Africa said, “We also want to thank our panel of independent industry professionals who undertook the mammoth task to read over 2080 applications until they found 21 strong submissions.
“The response from all the aspiring filmmakers who took time to submit their application also proves that there’s a wealth of storytelling potential and talent in Africa and we at Netflix are excited to be part of this journey for more talented new voices to share their stories with the world.”
Modupe Gbadeyanka