Africa in Motion announces finalists for short film competition

Agya film (Japan).

Africa in Motion was founded in 2006 and is now preparing for its 13^th Set in Edinburgh and Glasgow, it aims at bringing the excellence of African cinema to Scottish audiences, and at overcoming the under-representation and the overwhelming marginalisation of African films in British film-going culture. The festival will take place from 27 October to 4 November 2018.

The competition is central to AiM's commitment to nurturing young African filmmaking talent, and filmmakers who enter must not have previously made a feature-length film. This year’s final shortlist boasts a diverse and captivating collection of work from across the continent, including Ghana, Algeria, Senegal, Morocco, Kenya and Nigeria.

We have launched! Check out the AiM 2018 programme! https://t.co/sIR9edoryu pic.twitter.com/qEB61MXJzD

— Africa in Motion (@AiMfilmfest) September 23, 2018

The short films will be screened on Wednesday 31 October in Edinburgh (at Woodland Creatures) and also, on Wednesday 31 October in Glasgow (at University of Glasgow, Andrew Stewart Cinema).

There is a cash prize of £500 awarded to the winner, who will be selected by our jury of acclaimed film practitioners and academics, this prize is sponsored by the Scottish Documentary Institute. Audiences also have the opportunity to vote for their favourite film, with the Audience Award winner announced on the website at the end of the festival.

Finalists

The selected films of the Short Film Competition are:

Tikitat-A-Soulima: Ayoub Layoussifi | Morocco 2016 | 29m | Arabic with English subtitles | 15
While playing football with his friends, young Hassan finds out the cinema in his small Moroccan town will be closing for good the next day. Hassan then goes on a whirlwind adventure to find a ticket to the last screening, Spider-Man 3.

Misfit: Karanja Ng’endo | Kenya 2018 | 5m | 15
An exploration of race and colourism. What happens when a person is too black to be white and too white to be black? An experimental look at albinism and colourism in the black community.

Agya: Curtis Essel | Ghana 2018 | 5m | Arabic with English subtitles | 15
AGYA’ which means ‘Father’ in Twi (Ghanaian dialect) is a conversation with father of four YAW (from the Ghanaian naming system, meaning born on a Thursday) condensed into five parts, one film that goes through five different stages.

Wafaa: Ilham El Alami | Morocco 2016 | 15m | Arabic with English subtitles | 15
The story of Wafaa, a woman who is reliving the same day over and over again. A mysterious man invites her in to look at pictures of his family, but what does it all mean? A tender look at marriage and debilitating health.

Wake Up: Faten Jaziri | Tunisia 2017 | 27m | 15
Inhabited by a past full of culture, where the shadow of his father floats, Fares, a young and exalted photographer, tries to join a singer who mysteriously fascinates him. Facing the cynicism of the modern city, caught in a hallucinated vortex, he is going to have to step outside of himself in order to confront his fears.

Dula: Jasyn Howes | South Africa 2018 | 27m | 15
A young gang member from Brooklyn, Cape Town gets arrested after a night out turned bad. Abdul was subsequently convicted of murder and sent to prison at Drakenstein Correctional Facility. Whilst on the inside he found the sport of boxing, which changed the course of his life.

Natsu’s Treasure: Denise Ekale Kum | Japan 2018 | 15m | Japanese with English subtitles | 15
A little black girl swims against the currents of uniformed masses in the vast city of Tokyo. Every now and then, she bends down to retrieve a glittering piece of a discarded item. For her silent quest has a goal – to reclaim a treasure thought lost.

The Scottish Documentary Institute is sponsoring the prize for the Short Film Competition Winner. Established in 2004 by Noe Mendelle to nurture documentary filmmakers and audiences in Scotland and beyond, SDI specialises in documentary training, production and distribution, supporting filmmakers through its diverse programme of international activities and high-quality training programmes. https://www.scottishdocinstitute.com.