26th edition of FESPACO

Presentation Brussels

Belgium - Burkina Faso

26th edition of FESPACO - Presentation Brussels


The 26th edition of FESPACO will occur from February 23rd till March 2nd 2019 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. This year, the festival is also celebrating its 50th anniversary, an opportunity to highlight the major African films of the last 50 years but also to reflect on the future around the theme "Memory and Future of African Cinemas".

Every other year, Africalia is pleased to welcome the FESPACO team in Brussels to promote the African cinema biennial with a presentation of the 26th edition and a special evening dedicated to African cinemas on Thursday January 17th 2019.

Attendance at these two events is free of charge but it is essential to reserve your seats before January 15th.

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Presentation of the 26th edition of FESPACO in Brussels

January 17th 2019, 10:30 AM - Secretariat of the ACP Group of States



This year, the presentation of the 26th edition of FESPACO, which is also the 50th anniversary of the festival, will take place at 10:30 AM at the Secretariat of the ACP Group of States (Avenue Georges-Henri 451 Georges Henri laan, 1200 Brussels – Room C). It is aimed at journalists, institutions, partners, cinema/audiovisual professionals and the public.


Special FESPACO evening in Brussels

January 17th 2019, 7:30 PM - Cinema Palace



The special evening dedicated to African cinemas will screen, for the 50 years of the festival, a great movie classic. The film selected is "Hyenas" by Senegalese director Djibril DIOP MAMBÉTY (1991, 110 minutes. Spoken: Wolof, French, Japanese. Subtitles: French).

After being kicked out of her African village three decades earlier for getting pregnant out of wedlock, Linguere Ramatou has returned home. While Linguere has done well for herself, her home village has fallen on hard economic times. Intent on punishing Draman Drameh, the man who fathered her child but refused to own up to the act, Linguere makes a proposal: She will help the town financially, if the locals agree to execute Draman.

The screening will take place on thursday January 17th 2019 at 7:30 PM at the Cinema Palace (Boulevard Anspach 85 Anspachlaan, 1000 Brussels). Tickets can be removed from 7:00 PM.


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About FESPACO



FESPACO (Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou) celebrates this year its 50th birthday. Created in 1969, FESPACO is today considered as the biggest film event on the African continent. This festival is a showcase and a springboard for films from Africa or from the diasporas. It has become a pole of attraction for all filmmakers in search of circuits for the promotion and dissemination of their works. Professionals come from all over the world to discover the latest films and audiovisual productions in Africa, but also to take part in numerous workshops and professional meetings. It is both a cultural event as a festive event with thousands of festival – goers who meet together every two years to communicate, to build relationships, to exchange expertise and to reinvent themselves.

Some figures from the 25th edition of FESPACO (25 February> 4 March 2017)
  • 1.004 movies registered.
  • 160 films selected: 105 for the official competition and 55 out of competition.
  • 360 screenings in 8 cinemas.
  • 17 jurors for the 3 juries of the official palmarès and 85 jurors for the 13 juries of the special prices to choose the various laureates.
  • Professionals and moviegoers from 54 countries.
  • 2.202 professionals, 273 national and international production houses, 293 national and international media, including 1.569 journalists and 78 directors and representatives of festivals.
  • 11.980 people accredited.

The special 50th anniversary



The celebration of the 50th anniversary will feature a selection of iconic films, classics of African cinemas and its diasporas from the past 50 years, and a retrospective of the Golden Stallions of Yennenga. Special screenings and tributes will also take place.

Credits

These FESPACO events in Brussels are a collaboration between the Embassy of Burkina Faso, WBI (Wallonia-Brussels International), Africalia, the Secretariat of the ACP Group of States, CEC ONG, FIFF (International Francophone Film Festival), Afrika Filmfestival and Brukmer.