The Festival Panafrican du Cinéma de Ouagadougou—known as FESPACO—began in 1969 and, over the years, has grown into the largest and most prestigious film festival showcasing pan-African and African diasporic films. Held biannually in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, FESPACO is dedicated specifically to films by African and African diaspora directors. The longstanding mission of FESPACO is to uncover, archive, and reaffirm the representation of the peoples of the African continent and its global diaspora.
Despite the globally significant contributions of the festival, the cinematic and cultural traditions it champions are little known in the United States outside of small groups of scholars, experts, and audience constituencies. To counter this, and to regularize the cultural accessibility of pan-African and African diasporic cinema in the U.S. cultural landscape, IU Cinema, in conjunction with Black Camera: An International Film Journal and the Center for Documentary Research and Practice—and with support from the African Studies Program—are organizing a film and conversation series called Best of FESPACO in April 2023 here at IU Bloomington.
The event is inclusive of dedicated film screenings, screening Q&A/talkback sessions, visiting filmmakers, a panel with experts in the field, and class visit/student workshops. All events will be free and open to the public.
Often called “the mother of African cinema,” Senegalese filmmaker Safi Faye was the first African woman to direct a commercial feature film. Join visiting scholar Beti Ellerson for a conversation on Faye’s revolutionary work and career, and its lasting impact on African filmmaking.
This screening will feature an introduction by Beti Ellerson (Centre for the Study of Research of African Women in Cinema) and a Q&A with Dr. Ellerson and Prof. Michael T. Martin (The Media School, Black Camera).
Featuring an introduction by IU doctoral student Claire Fouchereaux and followed by a Q&A with Prof. Joshua Malitsky (The Media School, Center for Documentary Research and Practice), Joseph Gaï Ramaka, and Prof. Eileen Julien.
A panel discussion on the future of African filmmaking. Topics include fiction filmmaking on the continent, documentary filmmaking in the diaspora and on the continent, women in African filmmaking, and connecting audiences to continental and diasporic filmmaking. Featuring:
Featuring an introduction by Claire Diao and a Q&A with Claire Diao and Prof. Michael T. Martin (The Media School, Black Camera).