Four "Generation Africa" films to screen at DOK.fest Munich
Looking at migration from an African perspective: On May 6 and 7, the Munich international documentary film festival featured films from Rwanda, Gambia, South Sudan and South Africa. The four films had received support from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), DW Akademie and the South African non-governmental organization STEPS.
The filmmakers presented their films as part of the festival’s "African Encounters" section and, in a panel discussion, provided insights into their work.
The films "Lend Me Your Voice", "No Simple Way Home", "African Moot" and "Home Again" stem from the Generation Africa project and look at migration from a personal perspective. Both "Lend Me Your Voice" from Rwanda and the Gambian film "Home Again" celebrated their world premieres at the festival.
"Africa's film market is on the upswing, with many successful films being made there on socially relevant topics," said Svenja Schulze, German Development Minister. "We support African filmmakers in telling these stories, their stories. By doing so, we promote the formation of opinion in African countries, but also in our own. We are therefore pleased that the new cooperation with DOK.fest Munich will enable these perspectives to reach a wider audience here in Germany."
The power of cinema
Carsten von Nahmen, DW Akademie’s Managing Director, stressed that the African creative sector had made important contributions to freedom of expression in Africa. "Films are much more than creative expression. They are a development engine for society and the economy. We support filmmakers," he explained,"who tell authentic African stories that can broaden the horizons of viewers."
Don Edkins, Executive Producer of STEPS, a South African NGO, said out that the Generation Africa project showed "that we can achieve a lot if we work together, both on the continent itself and internationally. Showcasing these films at the DOK.fest Munich can help shift the narrative on migration and demonstrate the power of cinema to tackle issues that can resonate with a global audience," he said.
By supporting filmmakers in emerging film markets STEPS, DW Akademie and BMZ are actively contributing to social change, freedom of expression and the economic empowerment of local filmmakers.
"African Moot" - Fighting for migrant’s human rights
(Director: Shameela Seedat / South Africa, Finland 2022 / 83 minutes)
More than a hundred law students from all over Africa meet every year at the African Moot Competition to try a fictional case before the African Court of Human Rights. This time, the case is about the rights of refugees on the continent. Shamila Seedat, a human rights lawyer herself, accompanies the teams from Uganda, Kenya, Egypt and South Africa in her film and shows what to expect in the future.
"Home Again" - When dreams don’t come true
(Director: Babucarr Manka / Gambia, South Africa 2022 / 40 minutes)
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) organizes the repatriation of refugees to their home countries and their reintegration on site. One of them is Paabi. However, he quickly uses up the start-up capital paid out for his new existence and so, for the third time, the journey to Europe seems to be the only way out.
"Lend me your voice" - Giving a voice to survivors
(Director: Claudine Ndimbira / Rwanda, South Africa 2021 / 19 minutes)
Congolese-born Akili Nadege was on the run for most of her life. She was captured, tortured and finally managed to escape to Rwanda. In five chapters, the filmmaker has strangers read Akili's story out loud. Only gradually does the victim move into the camera and get a face.
"No Simple Way Home" - A political family in South Sudan
(Director: Akuol de Mabior / Kenya, South Africa 2022 / 85 minutes)
Director Akuol de Mabior goes in search of the homeland she has never lived in: South Sudan. She accompanies her mother Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior on her journey to become the first vice president of the young country. Rebecca wants to make it a place worth living in but the political reality is not very welcoming.
About Generation Africa
Generation Africa is a collection of 25 short, medium and feature-length documentary films from 16 countries in Africa that aim to shine a light on the future of youth in Africa through the topic of migration. Produced bySTEPS in South Africa in collaboration with production companies in each country, this project aims to give voice to African storytellers in an initiative that has built a strong documentary community across Anglophone and Francophone Africa. This ground-breaking collection introduces exciting young documentary voices to a world stage in order to shift the narrative on migration. All Generation Africa films will also be screened by the French-German public broadcaster Arte in early summer 2022.
The international documentary film festival DOK.fest Munich is running from May 4 - 15 on site in Munich, and from May 9 - 15 online.
