FCAT Espacio Profesional: A Window To Film Production, From The Idea To The Screens From The 15th To The 18th Of October
.......FCAT Gathers Together A Wide Range Of African Filmmakers And International Film Professionals, Providing A Space For The Debate And Action, Despite The Scarcity Of Resources
Cordoba, 4th October 2013. In its 10th edition, the African Film Festival of Cordoba-FCAT devotes a special space to the professionals of cinema, with a series of round tables and conferences, known as FCAT Espacio Profesional. That is, a platform aimed at the cooperation between filmmakers and producers in Africa, Spain and the rest of the world.
This festival has been committed to the support of African cinemas for ten years now. However, it beliefs that other than giving visibility to the films created by Africans both in the continent and the diaspora, there must be a full support. This is why FCAT Cordoba has been supporting the cinema from the beginning of the process, in a space founded in 2009 that constitutes a platform for networking and for the exchange of new film projects.
Under this aim, from the 15th to the 18th of October, each morning at Casa Árabe, there will be round tables, conferences and forums with filmmakers and producers, as well as important authorities from the Spanish and African audiovisual world. All of them will seek to promote and consolidate links between Africa and Spain and an active debate on the current situation of the African film world.
The conference programmed for the 18th of Friday will particularly look at the role of co-productions in transition that the audiovisual production is currently going through. In the conference 'Productions and co-productions in Spain', the festival will be honoured to count on the panellists May Silva, Director of the Film Archive of Andalusia, as well as members of Canal Sur - the regional TV for Andalusia- and the Confederation of Spanish Audiovisual Producers, among others, who will try to unpack the complexities of the Spanish audiovisual world. Another panel will focus on the African situation, represented by an ensemble of African filmmakers sharing their different perspectives on their countries. Among others, this panel will feature Latefa El Berki, the producer of Defining Love (2012, Morocco), lined up for the official selection of the 10th FCAT Cordoba 'The African Dream', and William M'baye, a Senegalese filmmaker whose awarded documentary film President dia (2012) has also been lined up in the official selection of the 10th FCAT Cordoba.
No distribution, no cinema
Since 2009, the festival wanted this platform to become a continuous means of supporting a cinema that is not very often seen by audiences. Thus FCAT Espacio Profesional gives voice to different agents of the field so that they can share their work in their own countries and beyond. Among the distributors to take part in the distribution forum on the 17th, we could highlight Enricho Chiesa, founder of Africafilms.tv, an organisation based in Senegal aimed at the online distribution of African cinemas.
There will also be a panel aimed at the presentation of the project 'Cinenómada', founded in 2006 by Al-Tarab for the exhibition of African cinemas throughout the year and to constitute an income for the filmmakers whose films are screens, for the rights of exhibition. In the presentation of the 16th, the director of FCAT, Mane Cisneros and the FCAT curator, Marion Berger, will share their initiative of exhibiting African cinemas, which has reached over 150 cities and generated over 200,000€ for the copyright so far.
A critical gaze
The voice of specialised critics will also have a space. For instance, the highly acclaimed Olivier Barlet, a prolific critic of cinemas, and founder of Africultures, will open FCAT Espacio Profesional on Tuesday 15th of October at 10am, by presenting his book African cinemas in the decade of 2000 [Los cines de África en la década de los 2000]. With this forum, FCAT seeks to prompt the translation and publication of this book, so far published only in French, even though it is a key reading for the critical understanding of the evolution of the seventh art in Black Africa. This author will also participate in a round table with further experts, such as Haminiaina Ratovoarivony - a filmmaker from Madagascar - or Lamine Ammar Khodja, a filmmaker from Algeria.
Finally, following last year's edition, there will be a special date with women discussing the important role of women in the construction of the imaginary of the African continent. This panel, sponsored by the foundation Women for Africa, will enjoy the participation of the acclaimed actress Fatoumata Coulibaly, born in Mali but famous for her work with Ousmane Sembène. In fact, his last film, Moolaaadé (2004), featuring Fatoumata Coulibaly, will be screened in Cuevas del Pino in her presence, on the 19th of October.
During this tenth anniversary of the African Film Festival of Cordoba, 70 films coming from 32 different countries will be screened, engaging audiences with the creative process and the efforts behind these works. 'Aperitivos de cine', a friendly environment to further discuss the films lined up in the festival, will take place every day after FCAT Espacio Profesional.
International Media Office:
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Dossier FCAT Espacio Profesional: http://www.fcat.es/descargas/ENG_FCAT_Espacio_Profesional_13.pdf
FCAT Programme: http://www.fcat.es/FCAT_en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=176:program-day-by-day&catid=73:fcat-2013&Itemid=54
Catalogue: http://www.fcat.es/descargas/Catalogo_FCAT_2013.pdf
Poster FCAT: http://www.fcat.es/descargas/altacalidad/cartel_FCAT_2013.jpg
Press Dossier: http://www.fcat.es/descargas/Press_Dossier_English.pdf