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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
World
RFI

Africa's top cinema event announces strong lineup for competition

Staff at FESPACO HQ move a projector in preparation for screenings at the festival in 2021 (illustration) © Laura-Angela Bagnetto/RFI

From Angola to Senegal, no less that fifteen feature-length movies have been nominated for the top prize in next month's Fespaco pan-African film and television festival, held in Burkina Faso.

Launched in 1969, the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (Fespaco) draws thousands of movie fans and professionals from across the continent.

It is also closely followed by the US and European movie industries, which scout the event for new films, talent and ideas.

A total of 170 films are competing across 11 categories in the 25 February - 4 March event, including short film, documentaries, TV series and animation, Fespaco said on Friday.

Under festival rules, films chosen for competition have to be made by Africans and predominantly produced in Africa.

This year's theme is "African cinema and culture of peace" -- an invitation, say the organisers, to reflect on how movies can encourage reconciliation in troubled times.

FESPACO'S host country Burkina Faso is in the grip of a seven-year-old jihadist insurgency that has killed thousands of people and driven around two million from their homes.

(with AFP)

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