Burkina Faso: Launch of preparatory activities for the 29th edition of FESPACO
The 29th edition of the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) will be held from February 22 to March 1, 2025, in Ouagadougou, under the theme: “African Cinema and Cultural Identities”. This information was announced by the General Delegate during a press conference on Thursday, August 8, 2024.
Everything is being done to make the 29th edition of FESPACO one of the most successful yet. Great efforts are being made to ensure its success. As of now, with just a few weeks left before the film submission deadline, 349 films have been received, including eight from Burkina Faso.
These submissions consist of 57 feature-length fiction films, 4 short films, 2 short documentaries, and one television series. Filmmakers have until September 30, 2024, to submit their works, a number that has seen a slight increase compared to the previous edition.
The international selection committee is already in place, featuring nine prominent figures in the film industry, including Mohamed Saïd Ouma (Comoros), Enoka Julien Ayemba (Cameroon), Hawa Essuman (Ghana), and Farah Dramani (Niger).
Their task will be to select the films for the festival. The president of the feature-length fiction jury for this 29th edition of FESPACO is the veteran Malian director Souleymane Cissé, who has won two Golden Stallion awards.
Kenyan Judy Kibingé will serve as the president of the documentary and short film jury. Accreditations have also been launched, with 33 nationals and 56 internationals already registered. Registration is exclusively online, with a deadline of December 31, 2024.
It is worth noting that related activities to FESPACO, such as the Yennenga Workshops and the African Cinema and Audiovisual Market (MICA), have also been launched. According to FESPACO’s General Delegate, Alex Moussa Sawadogo, MICA is not just a marketplace; it is a space for business and partnership development.
“We must recognize that Burkina Faso hosts one of the A-list festivals, where registration used to be free. This time, we have made it a paid process to align with professional standards. The fee is around 33.000 CFA francs”, stated the FESPACO General Delegate. He also took the opportunity to urge those with ready films not to wait until the last minute to register. “This has no impact on the selection of films. Even if your film is not 100% complete, submit it. At no festival do they wait until everything is finished before submission. Always mention that it’s a work-in-progress copy”, he advised.
