{"id":51810,"date":"2024-11-04T13:27:06","date_gmt":"2024-11-04T13:27:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/10th-mashariki-african-film-festival-strengthening-rwandan-cinema-across\/"},"modified":"2024-11-06T10:10:54","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T10:10:54","slug":"10th-mashariki-african-film-festival-strengthening-rwandan-cinema-across","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/10th-mashariki-african-film-festival-strengthening-rwandan-cinema-across\/","title":{"rendered":"10th Mashariki African Film Festival: Strengthening Rwandan cinema across borders (Pictorial)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the past decade, it has grown from a local event into a cultural beacon that connects, supports, and elevates East African cinema. This year\u2019s anniversary edition is particularly special, with fresh initiatives and industry insights, attracting creatives from different countries.<\/p>\n

The festival coordinator, Leonel Kayitare, reflected on the growth and regional impact. \u201cTen years ago, we started with a simple goal: to build a platform where East African filmmakers could share their stories. Now, we\u2019re seeing this platform transform into a community where filmmakers from across the region come together to connect, collaborate, and learn. This 10th anniversary is a celebration of that journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another major aspect to this year\u2019s festival is \u201cMashaket,\u201d the Kigali International Content Market, which will run from November 7th to 9th. Designed as a business-to-business (B2B) marketplace, Mashaket allows filmmakers to network with buyers, broadcasters, producers and other industry stakeholders.<\/p>\n

Kayitare explained its importance: \u201cThis is where East African cinema meets the world. It\u2019s a chance for filmmakers to showcase their work, secure funding, and establish partnerships. It\u2019s a space where we\u2019re not only telling stories but also creating business opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n

Reflecting on the festival\u2019s achievements, Kayitare shared how far the East African film industry has come in the past decade. \u201cWhen we started, most submissions came from outside Rwanda, primarily from Uganda and Kenya,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, we\u2019re seeing more Rwandan filmmakers stepping up, creating award-winning work that\u2019s making a mark across East Africa. It\u2019s incredibly rewarding to witness that growth and to know that MAFF has played a role in it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Among the attendees is a Ugandan filmmaker Jenipher Nankabirwa, whose experience at last year\u2019s festival led her to create a collaborative film project between Uganda and Rwanda.<\/p>\n

Nankabirwa, the producer and lead actor of The Head, a new Uganda-Rwanda collaborative film, is thrilled to be back at MAFF this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cAttending last year\u2019s festival was a huge source of inspiration. It opened my eyes to the potential of cross-border collaborations, and I left with a vision to make a film that would bring Uganda and Rwanda together on screen. I\u2019m so excited that The Head is now a reality, and I can\u2019t wait to share it with audiences here in Kigali.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Among<\/figure>\n

The Head is a family drama that explores the challenges faced by families when the fathers, who are traditionally seen as heads of households become distant or neglect their roles.<\/p>\n

The film depicts a Ugandan mother of three daughters, whose husband, is physically distant despite providing financial support. The strained relationship with her daughters, coupled with her resentment towards her husband, pushes her to organize a family trip to Kigali.<\/p>\n

In an unexpected twist, they find the husband in Kigali on a business assignment, and the trip becomes a turning point, as the family reconnects and rediscovers their bond.<\/p>\n

The story also introduces the woman\u2019s eldest daughter the mother girls who meets a young Rwandan man, during the trip. Their budding connection adds another layer to the story, bridging the two cultures and hinting at a bright future of shared stories and experiences.<\/p>\n

Nankabirwa explains that this movie felt like the perfect way to blend Ugandan and Rwandan cultures to tell a story that resonates with families in both countries, something universal yet unique to East Africa. She is glad that MAFF gave her the confidence and platform to pursue her vision.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n

In addition to inspiring films like The Head, MAFF has expanded its programming this year with new capacity-building opportunities. Workshops developed in collaboration with Youth Connect are being held throughout the week, offering insights into various aspects of filmmaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re here to support all filmmakers, whether they\u2019re just starting out or have been in the industry for years,\u201d Kayitare said. \u201cThese workshops and masterclasses, including those hosted by Sony for cinematographers, provide our filmmakers with the skills they need to create high-quality work that can compete on any stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

For attendees like Nankabirwa, MAFF has become an annual highlight and a gathering point for East African filmmakers. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe festival creates a community. It\u2019s a place where we can exchange ideas, share our stories, and find inspiration. There\u2019s something incredibly powerful about being in a room filled with people who share the same passion for storytelling,\u201d she said<\/p>\n

At the 10th year anniversary, it\u2019s clear that the festival has become more than just a showcase, it\u2019s a catalyst for collaboration and a launchpad for East African stories.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n

With this year\u2019s grand finale set for November 9th, featuring an awards ceremony to recognize the region\u2019s top films, the festival is sure to close on a high note, celebrating a decade of accomplishments and setting the stage for the future of Cinema in Rwanda. <\/p>\n

And as Kayitare said, \u201cThis is just the beginning. We\u2019re building a foundation that will support our filmmakers for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Mashariki African Film Festival (MAFF) is celebrating a major milestone this year. With its 10th anniversary, bringing filmmakers from across East Africa and beyond to Kigali for a week of screenings, workshops and networking, MAFF kicked off on Sunday November 3, 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":135,"featured_media":2000076642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[75],"byline":[3135],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-51810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-homenews","byline-sam-k-nkurunziza-2"],"bylines":[{"id":3135,"name":"Sam K Nkurunziza","slug":"sam-k-nkurunziza-2","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"contributors":[{"id":3135,"name":"Sam K Nkurunziza","slug":"sam-k-nkurunziza-2","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"featured_image":{"id":2000076642,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-62.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-62.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-62.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-62.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-62.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-62.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51810\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000076642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51810"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=51810"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=51810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}