Filmmaking has advanced dramatically over the span of few years, and what once required expensive equipment can now be done with just a mobile phone. Many artists across the globe are looking for newer and more creative ways to express themselves and make art. The African Mobile Film Festival is allowing artists all over the African continent to create art and give them a platform to share it as well.
One of them features a story about a pregnant woman struggling through the current pandemic in Kenya. Another follows the story of Senegalese teenagers dealing with social media addiction. Another entry is based on a Tunisian cemetery with bodies of migrant who were trying to flee their state. These are some of the winning mobile films of the first African Mobile Film Festival.
The Origins of the African Mobile Film Festival
Over the past few years, African films are making their way into the limelight as they continue to gain international recognition. This new era of African filmography transcends traditional boundaries. It attracts new audiences, which is one of the reasons why the French Festival founder Bruno Smadja went on to create an African version of the film festival.
Bruno Smadja talks about the importance of films and film festivals, taking into account the opportunity that comes with them, as they become the means to share and exchange stories. He later refers to it as a cultural exchange for the people living in Africa.
About The Mobile Film Festival
The Mobile Film Festival was first launched in 2005, and it is all based virtually, allowing filmmakers all over the world to share and submit their short films of only one minute or less. The films have to be exclusively shot on a mobile device. Over the past four years, the festival has received submissions from more than 130 countries and has been able to award grants up to $275,000.
Mobile Film Festival; the African Edition
After the great success of MFF, it launched its own version for Africa. In the year 2020, MFF created a mobile film festival dedicated to the people of the African continent. The winners were announced this March. They are:
- Marcel Moussa Diouf, Senegal
- Neha Manoj Shah, Kenya
- Walid Falleh, Tunisia
These winning entries show that creativity and potential is not limited but, it needs to be explored.
