The Zanzibar International film Festival has a long tradition of promoting and developing local, regional and Pan-African filmmakers. This year, for the 17th edition of ZIFF taking place from June 14th – 22nd, there are a host of opportunities for filmmakers from across the continent to develop their skills, secure funding, network, and promote their work. The workshops this year have a strong focus on screen & script writing, as well as a particular emphasis on Swahili language filmmakers. For the first time, the MAISHA Film Lab will be conducted in both English and Swahili and the ZUKU Scriptwriting Workshop will see, for the first time, 5 Swahili scripts undergoing the full development process with local and international experts.
ZIFF’s strong social mandate, and this year’s festival theme “a common destiny” are brought to life through Pan-African cultural exchange, workshops and development on an annual basis. The highlights of this year’s developmental programme includes the following:
The ZUKU Scriptwriting Workshop June 19 – 21st
In April 2014 ZUKU announce its desire to commission feature length Swahili films for broadcast on Zuku Swahili Movies, the only TV channel dedicated to showcasing the best of Swahili films 24/7. Zuku Swahili Movies is a premium movie channel tailor made for all audiences within the East African region. The channel seeks to respond to strong consumer demand for Africa-produced and Africa-themed programming and prides itself on the quality of its output.
The ZUKU Scriptwriting workshop sees 5 scriptwriters whose scripts were selected experiencing a 3 day intensive workshop with top experts from here and abroad. This is the first time that Swahili movies scripts will undergo this kind of rigorous development and reflects ZUKU’s commitment to developing Swahili films and channels. As part of this commitment, ZUKU will also be presenting 6 awards at ZIFF aimed at awarding excellence in technical field.
The growth of Bongo movies in Tanzania depends on TV market and ZUKU fosters that growth, along with ZIFF. The presence of international talent such as Mitchell Peck and Nick Broomfield to ensure the growth of the East African and Swahili film industry by creating critical links to other markets The 5 selected scripts will undergo development with renowned film directors and script writers including:
• Nick Broomfield( Big and Tupac)
• Mitchell Peck (Hollywood Producer of 3 studio movies)
• Martin Mhando (Maangamizi)
Storytelling And Film Script Writing: June 18 – 21st
Filmmakers from East Africa (3 from each country- Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania) will attend this workshop.
This workshop will help the participants to discuss and develop their ideas, turn them into compelling stories in the genre of their choice or that which the trainers might suggest.
The workshop is funded by the East African community in collaboration with the GIZ.