A smartphone film festival is coming to Kenya to spark creativity
Everyone has a creative vision, but not everyone has a camera to bring that vision to life. In Africa, however, many people own a smartphone with a camera. The United Africa Film Festival is a smartphone film festival in Kenya hosted by the White Elephant Art Lodge in Malindi and organized by Dancing Donkey Studios from Prague. The event will take place on April 11th, 2020 and the submissions will open in December.
United Africa Smart Phone Film Festival,April 11th, 2020
United Africa Film Festival is committed to giving everyone the chance to express their creativity through a smartphone. The aim is to create endless possibilities and share imagination through short films made solely on a phone. This will allow many individuals who otherwise would not have the chance to share their creativity, which may open new doors for them. The festival will spark creativity and bring inspired individuals together, creating a lasting community.
To help the African youth make their dreams come true, the organizers started a crowdfunding campaign. You can win different prizes like a digital version of the selected movies, being an official co-producer or even being part of the jury!
We aim to create endless possibilities and share imagination. The festival will allow participants to submit a short film that has been filmed solely on a phone. This will allow many individuals who otherwise would not have the chance to share their creativity, which may open new doors for them. The festival will have no theme, making the possibilities limitless.
The Plan
In order to participate in the majority of film festivals around the world, the filmmaker needs to pay a submission fee. The White Elephant Film Festival wants to give a chance to everyone, which is why the submission will be free for the filmmaker. The event itself will take place at White Elephant in Malindi. There will be screenings of all the films followed by an awards ceremony. Various guest speakers may be invited to give a presentation about the film industry and its opportunities in Africa. An after-party will follow.
Since it will be difficult to reach individuals from all over Africa at the beginning, the first edition of the festival will target people from East Africa only. Slowly but surely, with every year’s new edition, the festival will grow until it has reached dreamers across all of Africa.
Who?
Filmmakers from all of Africa. Individuals who want to see their film on a large screen with the curious eye of a jury. The main age range is 15 to 35, but everyone is welcome!
When?
11th of April 2020.
Requirements for film entry:
Length: 5-7 minutes. Films need to be entirely shot on a smartphone. English subtitles need to be added if the film is in another language. Any editing may take place on another device.
Prizes
Primary categories: Short Fiction, Short Experimental, Short Documentary
Secondary categories: Best actor, Best actress, Best directing, Best cinematography, Best music, Best editing
The winners will receive cash prizes, trophies in the form of statues made by Armando Tanzini, and merchandise.
Location
The White Elephant Art Lodge is a beautiful space connecting the wilderness of nature with the creativity of Armando Tanzini’s art. The film screenings would take place in the conference hall amongst art pieces.
Budget
We need a total of 12000€ to make this project reality, to give young African film makers the opportunity of dreaming. This is why we cannot imagine succeeding without the help of the Kickstarter community!
Risks and challenges
The greatest challenge will be to reach people. We plan to use Facebook Ads to target the East African countries. Also, we will send information and leaflets to schools and universities to reach youth.
Another challenge will be that people may have individual questions and necessities, for example about submission or about transport to the event. Since WhatsApp is widely used, we will be online to respond to any questions and concerns. If anyone has issues with financing transportation to the event, we will do our best to help them.
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