South African film celebrating a reporter’s struggle against apartheid has taken top honours at Africa’s premier film festival.
Drum, by South African director Zola Maseko, picked up the Gold Talon prize for best feature-length film late on Saturday at the closing of the 19th Panafrican Film and Television Festival, known locally as ”Africa’s Cannes.”
Maseko won the equivalent of about $20 000 for his film, which was the second English-language submission ever to be judged best film in French-speaking Burkina Faso. The Ghanaian film Heritage Africa, which won in 1989, was the first.
The festival, which features the work of African actors and filmmakers, began in 1969 and is held every two years. It began on March 1 this year and screened scores of films from across Africa.
The festival, known as Fespaco, is considered the most prestigious film festival on the continent, and attracts thousands of people from all over the world. – Sapa-AP