FESPACO 2009 call for entries

This year will feature a wide range of activities to celebrate the anniversaries including itinerant exhibitions on the years of FESPACO and African cinema, film screenings, conferences on FESPACO and the FESPACO Foundation.

The 2009 edition will pay tribute to Ousmane Sembene, doyen of African filmmakers and pioneer of FESPACO, who passed away on 9 June 2007. He was one of the pioneers of African movie industry and a regular of FESPACO, having attended nearly all the festival's editions without a break from 1969 to 2005. Sembene made twenty or so films including nine features, and always believed in and defended the film industry in Africa all over the world. Sembene the African, endeavoured to promote FESPACO and to unite filmmakers across the continent for the development of African cinema.

The official competition is exclusively reserved for African and diaspora films. The competition is open to feature films, short films and documentaries. The diaspora competition is reserved for feature films made by filmmakers from the diaspora. Prizes for these competitions include amounts up to 2,000,000 FCFA.

The African International Film and TV Market (MICA) started in 1983 and is a platform of opportunities for professional buyers and distributors to meet. The market offers a set of audio-visual programmes from Africa and about Africa made available for film professionals. The 14th MICA will take place alongside the 21st edition of FESPACO; it is due 28 February to 6 March 2009. As a tribune for meeting, promotion and exchange, the market welcomes some films screenings and exhibitors of film equipment. Besides the promotion of feature films, video productions (short, documentary, serials and sitcoms) from Africa and worldwide are also presented.

For application forms for feature film entries, click here.

For application forms for television and video productions, click here.

MICA offers the following services:

• promotional stands for production companies, institutions, festivals and film schools;
• screening booths for registered films to be seen on choice;
  
• on-choice large screen projections depending on the schedule.

For application forms for MICA, click here.

Please note that the deadline for all application forms is 31 December 2008 and that all entries must be submitted directly to the FESPACO office, the NFVF will not be sending any entries to FESPACO on behalf of filmmakers.