London will host a variety of African rich films festival from 1st of November to the 10th of November which will feature 70 African Films, music nights, workshops and Q&As with leading directors from the African continent in film industry.
London / NationalTurk – The event is supported by the Royal African Society and London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Film Africa 2012 runs from November 1-11, offering 10 days of 70 African films, leading film-maker Q&As, free professional workshops, and 9 African music nights. The UK’s largest annual festival of African cinema and culture is hosted by the Hackney Picturehouse, with screenings also at the BFI Southbank, Rich Mix in Shoreditch, The Ritzy in Brixton, Screen on the Green in Islington, and The South London Gallery.
The event was launched in 2008 and named the London African Film Festival but was rebranded in 2011 and gave it a new name of Film Africa.
The statistics for the African residents in the United Kingdom include: 105,000 Nigerians, 80,000 South Africans, 53,000 Zimbabweans, 44,000 Somalis, 39,000 Ghanaians 25,000 Libyans, 18,000 Mauritians, 15,000 Kenyans, and 12,000 Eritreans. Research shows that the African Diaspora and Black British communities in London identify closely with both their original ‘homes’ and with London.
The African film industry have seen a significant improvement over the years with the Nigerian movie industry known as the Nollywood being the second largest industry in terms of film produced annually after Bollywood. The Ghanaian movie industry also known as the Ghallywood is also catching up fast with the rest of the world. With this latest development in the film industry in Africa, many are hoping that the event will be a big success to project the image of Africa to the Diaspora in film making.
Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Entertainment News
