Shotgun Stories: African Cinema Attacks

Eine neue Generation afrikanischer Filmemacher – Kunle Afolayan (The Figurine) aus Nigeria, Oliver Hermanus (Shirley Adams) aus Südafrika, Caroline Kamya (Imani, Berlinale Forum) aus Uganda – diskutiert gemeinsam mit Tom Tykwer (Produzent von Soul Boy, Berlinale Generation Special) über die Zukunft des afrikanischen Kinos.


There’s a whole new generation of African filmmakers ready to shoot films which might blow our minds away: as they don’t match the image of African cinema that we are used to. Many young directors choose urban Africa as a location to tell stories of love and hate; they prefer hip hop to traditional drums in their scores and are eager to portray lifestyles yet to be discovered beyondKampala, Johannesburg, Nairobi or Lagos. Although filmmaking in most African countries is more difficult than in other parts of the world, this new generation refuses to be silenced by those who try to control their work by means of funding, tough political oppression or simply due to a lack of interest. The headwinds from home blow just as strongly as they do from countries in the North, but they aren’t strong enough to stop this movement. This panel offers a platform to exchange ideas for the future of African cinema based on personal experiences, new strategies and individual films. It’s time for action: moving images can be used as sharp weaponry in a warfare against ignorance.

Moderation: Dorothee Wenner