Sub-Saharan African cinema in the context of FESPACO: close-ups on francophone West Africa and anglophone South Africa

Bisschoff, L. (2009) Sub-Saharan African cinema in the context of FESPACO: close-ups on francophone West Africa and anglophone South Africa. Forum for Modern Language Studies, 45(4), pp. 441-454. (doi: 10.1093/fmls/cqp116)

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Abstract

In the context of the biennial FESPACO film festival in Ouagadougou, this article gives overviews of the development of the film industries in francophone West Africa and anglophone South Africa, and of emerging trends and new directions. French support ensured that francophone countries were responsible for 80% of films made in Africa until the mid-1990s. Attempts to classify African film in terms of social realism, return to pre-colonial sources etc. ignore the variety of inspiration and technique, already in the founding work of Ousmane Sembene, and increasingly today. In South Africa, little radical black filmmaking developed during apartheid, but in the last fifteen years, with government support, there has been an explosion of activity. South African films have won major awards at FESPACO and elsewhere, although they still struggle to find an audience locally. The future may lie in a digital film industry of the kind pioneered in Nigeria (“Nollywood”).

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:Special Issue: Perspectives on Africa
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Bisschoff, Dr Lizelle
Authors: Bisschoff, L.
College/School:College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Theatre Film and TV Studies
Journal Name:Forum for Modern Language Studies
ISSN:0015-8518
ISSN (Online):1471-6860
Published Online:27 August 2009

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