AFRIFF Boosts Nigeria s Image at Durban Filmfest

Following Nigerias outing at the just concluded Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), South Africa, there are strong indications of a collaboration that is fast making Nollywood the beau of arguably Africas biggest film fest. By Solomon Nda-Isaiah

Pundits say the partnership can only be next to DIFFs romance with the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), going by the annual talent exchange programmes between both events.

Two Nigerian institutions; Afrinolly, a film developmental initiative run by Chike and Jane Maduegbuna, and Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), the fastest-growing Nigeria-domiciled continental film festival founded by Chioma Ude, have both given Nollywood a participation that brought men and material to bear, a feat never before achieved at the KwaZulu-Natal film event.

First, Afrinolly made a pragmatic visibility with four short films by artistes it groomed through the Ford Foundation grant. The four films; Timothy by Ejiro Onobrakpor, Henna by Ishaya Bako, Once by Jay-Franklyn Jituboh and The Dutiful Wife by Soji Ogunaike festered a sense of belonging that can only get better, despite the fact that critics see their screenings as sidekicks.

AFRIFF on the other hand had brought one of its hay games to bear; the notable AFRIFF party, with which it injected flames that relax and excite festival rats. AFRIFF, it is obvious, is not willing to change a formula that works, despite so much pretences and insinuations that such gigs are a distraction from serious contents of a film festival. Indeed, the AFRIFF/TRACE TV show could be regarded as the real closing party of DIFF, providing the enthralling ending that filmmakers could ever ask for. It was a strategic show, which in the coming years, aims to give crowd and power to DIFFs closing ceremonies.

But AFRIFF will not only be remembered for its party, a glamorous evening at the Velvet Lounge, Florida Road, which gave filmmakers the most relaxed atmosphere to network; it will also be remembered for facilitating an exchange programme between the Nigerian motion picture industry and the eThekwini Filmmakers Association (AFA) and South African actors and filmmakers in general; AFRIFF will be remembered for training young filmmakers at the Montana State Universitys film department and Relativity Film School in the U.S., some of whom were part of the Durban delegation.

Ahead of the Nigerian Day which held on Friday July 24, AFRIFFs advisor, Mahmood Ali-Balogun and its creative director, Keith Shiri, had prepared grounds for the event and the other contingent who arrived on July 23.

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