Ghana to Host First Ever Berlinale Spotlight Screening in Africa, Celebrating African Cinema
For the first time ever, Ghana and the African continent will host the Berlinale Spotlight Screening from November 13 to 17, 2024. This significant event, taking place in partnership with GIZ, the Goethe-Institute, UniMac-IFT, and GAFTA, aims to spotlight and strengthen African films and filmmakers, promoting them on the global stage while engaging African audiences.
Berlinale, one of the top five A-list film festivals in the world alongside Cannes, Venice, Toronto, and Sundance, is dedicated to showcasing the best in international cinema. The Berlinale Spotlight Screening Accra is designed to bring African films to local audiences, offering them a chance to experience films that have primarily been circulating at international festivals such as the Berlinale. The event also signals the festival’s continued interest in the African film industry, with hopes of increasing film submissions from the region.
This year’s Berlinale featured 14 African films, many co-produced with European countries. For the inaugural Berlinale Spotlight Screening in Ghana, a curated selection of seven films will be shown, including Who Do I Belong To? (Tunisia/Canada), the debut feature film by Meryam Joobeur; Dahomey (Benin/France), by Mati Diop; The Nights Still Smell of Gun Powder (Mozambique/Germany), the debut feature by Inadelso Cossa; Black Tea (Taiwan/Côte d’Ivoire/Cape Verde/China), by renowned filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako; and Disco Afrika (Madagascar/Germany), by Luck Razanajaona.
Other films include Certain Winds from the South (Ghana), the directorial debut by Eric Gyamfi, and Letter from My Village (Senegal), by Safi Faye (deceased 2023).
These films cover a range of important themes, including identity in Dahomey, where university students in Benin debate cultural identity; corruption and post-colonial struggles in Disco Afrika; and the scars of civil war in The Nights Still Smell of Gun Powder. Who Do I Belong To? explores the role of women in a predominantly Islamic society, while Certain Winds from the South addresses gender roles, rural-urban migration, and shifting family dynamics. Sissako’s Black Tea focuses on African migration to the East and the relationship between Africans and Chinese.
In addition to the screenings, there will be three panel discussions that delve into the themes explored in the films. Screenings will take place at NAFTI Hostel, NAFTI Studio, and the Goethe-Institute. More detailed information will be provided in the coming days.
