AFRIKAMERA 2022 DIALOGUE – NETWORKING
Within the framework of the 15th edition, there were three public discourse formats on the topic of migration and diaspora:
11.11.22, A2 (small hall), Arsenal
20.30 Panel: NARRATIVES OF ESCAPE
Africans have been second-class refugees throughout Europe during the large refugee movements since 2012. In Berlin, too, they had no access to state support and integration services and drew attention to these grievances, for example, with the occupation of Oranienplatz in Kreuzberg. Since then, unfortunately, little has changed; only with the help of volunteer initiatives and NGOs have necessary measures for residence and care been organized. 2022 shows a similar picture: African students who flee from the war in Ukraine to other European countries also fall through all the cracks in Germany. Already discriminated against as they flee Ukraine and at the borders, they do not have equal access to the government’s comprehensive assistance services and must be supported by volunteer organizations.
In the panel NARRATIVES OF ESCAPE, the aspects of this unequal treatment and the reception of the images, which are now part of everyday life in Europe, will be discussed with Berlin activists. The question of what influence documentary films can have on socio-political developments will also be examined.
Panelists: Ousmane Samassékou (Mali), Fatimah Dadzie (Ghana), Ager Oueslati (Algeria/Tunisia/France), representatives of Tubman Network Berlin and Nyima Jadama from “Nyimas Bantaba” (Alex Berlin).
Moderation: Juana Awad
In the discourse format “THE ART OF COLLABORATION – Migration & Diaspora”, African and European filmmakers and multipliers will address questions around (Afro)-diasporic filmmaking in various discussion rounds and a roundtable. Questions about identities, narratives and backgrounds and the mutual influence of the diasporic community and the majority society on the film language will be raised and the cooperation and networks for transnational filmmaking will be highlighted. Related to this are discussions of what stories diasporic filmmakers want or are able to tell in their films. Production and financing opportunities and the current challenges related to co-productions in transnational cinema will be discussed at the roundtable
12.11.22 Humboldt Forum
14:00 Keynote: Self-Portraying Cinema, An Experimental Attitude on Peripheral Bodies.
A brief Introduction about self-portraying cinema practices. The self-portraying concept is originally based on an emancipated method, and it’s rooted on the subjectivity of the individual artist and citizen. A peripheral body is essentially interested in acting and transforming the global surrounding spaces, as it is itself a body on transit.
Keynote by Welket Bungué (Guinea-Bissau/Portugal/Germany), director, writer and actor (“Berlin Alexanderplatz”).
14:20 Discussion: Filmmaking in the Diaspora.
What stories does diasporic cinema bring to the screen? How are the experiences of migration into different environments and within diasporic communities reflected in the filmmakers’ stories and film language?
with Kantarama Gahigiri (Rwanda/Switzerland), Keni Ogunlola (England/Nigeria), Adolf El Assal (Egypt/Luxembourg), Khadar Ayderus Ahmed (Somalia/Finland)
Moderation: Rabih El-Khoury
16:00 Roundtable: Co-production and cooperation
What does cooperation mean for transnational filmmaking? How can networks promote cooperation? What are the production and financing options? How can the current challenges related to co-production and collaboration in transnational cinema be overcome?
with Teboho Edkins (South Africa), Markus CM Schmidt (Germany), Don Edkins (South Africa), Aurélien Bodinaux (Belgium), Innocent Munyeshuri (Rwanda), Neo Mosoang (South Africa)
Moderation: Rabih El-Khoury
13.11.22 Arsenal
16.30-18.00 Exploring movement and migrations in cinema
In this discourse format, filmmakers talk about identities, belonging, transit and (im)mobility. How can these questions be reflected and articulated in cinema? How is the film language shaped by personal migration experiences? Filmmaker Ike Nnaebue wants to educate with his films, even discourage people from fleeing. Can films be an essential medium to reflect but also influence migration?
with Ike Nnaebue (Nigeria), Ousmane Samassékou (Mali), Delphine Yerbanga (Burkina Faso), Ager Oueslati (Algeria/Tunisia/France), Rejoyce Kgabo Legodi (South Africa)
Moderation: Juana Awad