All Africa
Three South African entries have been selected among the 23 films chosen by film awards advisor Lionel Ngakane to compete in this year’s 11th M-Net All Africa Film Awards.
The three local films – Chikin Biznis: The Whole Story; Kaalgat Tussen die Daisies and The Sexy Girls – were selected together with the Tanzanian film, Maangamizi: The Ancient One, as the entries in the Anglophone category.
The Tanzanian selection, directed by Martin Mhando and Ron Mulvihill, was recently awarded the Golden Dhow Award for the best feature film from a Dhow country at the Zanzibar Film Festival. Well-known African actress, Amandina Lihambe (who plays Samehe – a mental patient), walked away with the festival’s Sitti Bint Said Award for best actress. Shot on location in East Africa and Louisiana, this film includes cast and crew members from America, Australia, Europe and Africa.
It is hoped that the Department of Arts and Culture’s support of local ventures will result in more Anglophone films being entered next year. There are also two possibilities for 1999 from Kenya: Anne Mungai’s Saikati II and Dommie Yambo-Odotte’s new feature.
This year has seen a host of entries from North Africa (the Arabaphone region), 12 films having been selected from Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco plus one from Algeria via Paris.
In the Francophone category, there have been more entries than last year, with seven out of eight being accepted for competition.
Nominations for this year will be announced by an independent judging panel at the end of August and prizes totalling R250 000 will be presented at a gala ceremony at the State Theatre in Pretoria on November 14.
The ceremony will be broadcast to over 1,2-million viewers across the African continent. A limited number of tickets will be on sale to the public.
Individual merit prizes will be awarded to honour outstanding performances by actors, cast and crew, and one winning film from each of the three categories will compete for the 1998 Grand Prize.
The 12 films selected for the Arabaphone category are: Demain, Je Br-le (Tomorrow, I Burn); Noces de Lune (Honeymoon), Keswa (The Lost Thread) [from Tunisia]; Adieu Forain (Farewell to the Fair), Mektoub (Predestination), and Femmes … et Femmes (Women and Women) [from Morocco]; Dantella (Lace, 1990/91); Date Wine; Concerto di fi Darb Saada (Concert in the Street of Happiness); and A Criminal With Honours [from Egypt]; and La Nuit du Destin (Night of Destiny) [from Algeria].
The Francophone category has seven films competing for the regional prize: Tableau Feraille [Senegal]; Silmande Tourbillon and La Revanche du Lucy (Lucy’s Revenge) [Burkina Faso]; Pieces d’Identit (Identity Document) [Congo] and Macadam Tribu [Congo]; Couleur Caf (Colour Caf) [Ivory Coast] and Faraw! Une Mere des Sables (Faraw! A Mother of the Sand) [Mali].
Pieces d’Identit, a comedy shot on location in Brussels and Cameroon which explores the never-ending conflict between tradition and modernity, won le Prix du Public at the eighth African Film Festival in Milan and was well received at Cannes this year.