Africa forgotten at Cannes Film Festival?

At the 77th Cannes Film Festival, the dazzling spotlight seemed to overlook African cinema.

The prestigious event, known for celebrating the crème de la crème of the global film industry, hosted more than 100 of the world's best filmmakers and directors from May 14 to 25.

But amidst the glitz and glamour, the vibrant voices of African filmmakers were conspicuously absent.

Despite this, the festival's grandeur still holds promise for Kenyan talent, offering a beacon of potential for those ready to make their mark on the international stage.

Ivorian filmmaker Joel Okafor was one of the Africans who screened a film he directed, called 'The Foreigner'.

The film was one of the African projects screened in the La Fabrique Cinema pavilion.

It tells the story of an Ivorian man who came to Europe via the Mediterranean.

He does not know the country and wants to return to his homeland, but he has no money and no work permit to work there, so it becomes very difficult for him to stay in Europe.

Akafor expressed his joy in an interview with the Star. "I was happy when my project was among the top 10 films selected by La Fabrique Cinema," he said.

"I am happy for all the directors and producers, and I call on filmmakers in Africa to be proud of their work and showcase their talents to the world."

BARELY REPRESENTED

African Pavilion founder Aminata Diop slammed the way African films were underrepresented.

"The Cannes Film Festival 2024 featured significantly fewer African films. There were no African films in the official competition line-up, a stark departure from last year," she said.

"The decline in representation indicates a regression in the visibility and recognition of African films at Cannes, and suggests a need for greater support and inclusion of diverse voices in future festivals."

La Fabrique Cinema celebrated its 16th edition at the Cannes Film Festival. The programme is run by the Institut Français, a French public institution responsible for France's foreign cultural policy.

This is under the authority of the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the French Ministry of Culture through its president, Eva Binh.

One of its main programmes, which was implemented at the Cannes Film Festival this year, was the promotion of producers and directors from Latin America, Africa and Asia, supporting their creative projects by directly engaging them to find co-producers, distributors and mentors to build their films to international levels.

Other programmes were the support of audiovisual creation and the World Cinema Support Programme, which contributes financially to feature films, documentaries and films.

DRIVEN BY PASSION

Eva Binh, president of the Institut Français, shed some light on this in an interview with the Star on the sidelines of Cannes.

"The Institut Français is driven by a passion for what it does, which makes a great contribution to the world, and there should be a diversity of projects and different ways of expressing what is close to people's hearts through work in the cultural and artistic fields."

In the development of audiovisual ecosystems, the Institut Français wants to broaden its scope to listen to the creativity of video games, which are formatted for many young people.

The Institut Français has around 100 institutions around the world and works directly with many partners, including the Alliance Française, cultural institutions and other French institutions.

"Our mission is to open doors, and the human connection is not for a one-day bond but a long-term bond," Binh said.

"And to give confidence to creatives that yes, you can make it, and you can do it not because you have no network, no budget, that your ideas or your talents are not good."

In its search for a mentor, the Institut Français looks for an inspiring person willing to share their time, advice, experience and contacts.

One of the mentors invited was Philip Lacoste, a director and producer from Ivory Coast, who is currently the patron of La Fabrique Cinéma 2024.

During his masterclass session with emerging directors and producers from the La Fabrique Cinéma pavilion, Lacoste said, "When you're young in your career, these are all questions you can have in your head and you don't know where to turn to get answers.

"And here, we try to provide a safe place where people feel confident enough to ask questions and the mentors are generous enough to give answers."

Some of the African countries associated with the French institute are Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa.

At this year's Cannes Film Festival, the institute had about 15 films supported by ACM (l'Aide aux cinémas du monde) (co-production between French producers and directors from the Global South).