Directors: Jim Chuchu, Ahmed Ghoneimy, Folasakin Iwajomo, Marie KA, Philippe Lacote, Vincent Molo
SOUTH AFRICA /2013/92m
Executive Producer: Steven Markovitz
African Metropolis is a compilation of six short fiction films, set in six major African cities, a unique partnership towards new African cinema. The films from Abidjan, Cairo, Dakar, Johannesburg, Lagos and Nairobi tell urban tales about life in African metropolises. Over 50 percent of the continent’s total population now lives in cities and vital urban cultures are forming and transforming – fast, and with growing complexity. In African cinema, the shift is towards urban stories, with less focus on the traditional, rural Africa that dominated in the past. Two years of intensive preparation lead up to the premieres: based on 40 scripts submitted, the filmmakers were chosen from the six cities. A mentoring programme and workshops ensued, with the aim to provide opportunities and recognition to African filmmakers. Rasha Salti, Africa and Middle East Programmer at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), says about the project: „If the African Metropolis Short Film Project is to be continued (…) an intriguing testimony of contemporary filmmaking may emerge – a testimony of a continent that has served as a projection screen for rigid and superficial clichés for too long.“