News have it that Preparations have begun as the city of Kano sets to host the 2018 African indigenous languages film festival in October.

We learnt from Daily Trust that, three working committees under the aegis of Kano Indigenous Languages of Africa Film Market and Festival (KILAF) were inaugurated to champion the preparation process and that the festival was organized to promote African films and its diverse rich cultures to the global market.

Addressing the press shortly after the inauguration of the committees, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Moving Images, Abdulkareem Mohammed, who was the chairman of the planning committee, noted some shortfalls in the narratives about Africa as woven the international media outlets, stating that the festival would create a platform for African culture industry to repackage its values for global consumption.

“We are strategizing to ensure that we position African films into a formidable platform that can sell Africa, Africans and anything about Africa to the global community.

“In globalization era each one is supposed to tell their own story; and we have seen the shortfall in Africans telling their own stories. For example if you look at what we do in Hausa films majority of people are thinking that we are copying cultures of India not Hausa culture so in order to correct things like this we need to create a platform to make film makers understand that they have a role to play in ensuring that stories are being told as par what Africa and Africans are” he said.     

He described the programme as capacity building avenue for the indigenous movie producers, emphasising that it would enhance their capacity so that they can sell contents that are about their own people.

Malam Sani Mu’azu, a movie producer and director with the indigenous Hausa movie industry, Kannywood described the festival as an opportunity for Africa films to penetrate the global market.

“We need to go beyond our immediate environment, we need to get global community appreciate what we are, and who we are through our films. Films have the ability to communicate, so a platform like that is necessary. How we are being appreciated to the whole world is still a big question because we are really yet to be heard in the global market.

“We are making impact in Africa, but how do we go beyond Africa? We need festivals like this to intercede to the global community to ensure that our rich culture, our values are appreciate beyond our immediate environment but beyond being appreciated, that we can attract funds, or returns on investment from our products” he added. 

Source: Daily Trust