PanAfrican Film Podcast

In this episode we meet Luck RAZANAJAONA, the Director of the debut feature-length fiction : Disco Afrika: A Malagasy story.

Aesthetically inspired by the 70s but set in modern day Madagascar, Disco Afrika is a story about twenty-year-old Kwame, who struggles to make a living in the clandestine sapphire mines. Kwame travels back to his hometown by an unexpected turn of events. As he reunites with his mother and old friends, he finds himself confronted with the rampant corruption plaguing his country. A story of political awakening, but also mourning, love and loyalty.

#FamilyTrauma #Mourning #Politicalawakening

Welcome back to another episode of PAFP, 1host Anna sat down with special guest Johan Grimonprez to talk about his film Soundtrack To A Coup D'etat 

In this episode we explore how NEWF is empowering African youth to impact conservation through film. 

Noel and Pragna Kok founded the Nature, Environment and Wildlife Forum as a way of uniting capacity building efforts in the world of African conservation documentaries. The forum has since expanded into labs and outreach programs extending beyond South Africa and across the continent. 

The main objective is to allow young Africans to control the narrative about their continent’s natural habitats by providing them tools to assume roles behind the camera rather than just being the subject of western optics.

In this episode Anna interviews  Andrew Osayemi, CEO of MTA Productions and the Creator of Meet the Adebanjos. A pioneering 2012 sitcom following the lives and hilarious times of a British Nigerian family living in London. 

Documentary film which won several awards over the past couple of years, including at the 2022 Pan African Film festival. It traces Yeshi Kassa’s journey to uncover her family’s history. As the great granddaughter of Haile Selassie, she looks for answers to how her family survived the 1974 coup, at what cost and what happened to those who didn’t survive. 

THEMES:
History
Revolution
Royalty
Family 
Truth 
Reconciliation

In the latest episode Anna talks to Visual Communications Specialist Mirchaye Sahlu. As a journalist she effectively uses the visual arts for her communications through reporting, hosting, PSAs, testimonials and documentaries.  

BlaxploItalian is a documentary tracing 100 year evolution of Black presence in Italian Cinema. 

The Director: Fred Kuwornu is consumed by the lack of representation of Afro-Italians on screen and also the exoticism, stereotyping and  dehumanizing nature of the few roles that were available in Italian cinema over the years. Released in 2016, it is an important and beautiful research which taps into the very real, yet previously untold, struggles faced by African-American, Afro-Latino and Afro-Italian actors and filmmakers.  

THEMES:

Identity

Socio-Political history of Italian Cinema

Representation

Black Culture

In this episode Anna speaks to acclaimed  Producer, Writer, Director Mehret Mandefro,

Mehret is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, serial entrepreneur, and thought leader
that champions the creative arts as a path to developing a more just society. Her
credits include the Sundance and Berlinale Audience Award winner Difret, the New York
Times Critic’s Pick Little White Lie, and showrunner of Ethiopia’s first-ever teen drama series Yegna. She recently executive produced the American Masters feature
documentary film How It Feels To Be Free and feature narrative film Sweetness in the
Belly which are both streaming on Amazon Prime. Mehret co-founded the independent media production company Truth Aid Media in the US, its sister company A51 Pictures in Ethiopia, the Realness Institute in South Africa, and was formerly the Executive Producer of Kana Television in Ethiopia which was acquired by Canal+. Her track record scaling up media businesses and using narrative to shift culture secured her a spot on Variety’s list of most impactful women in global entertainment. She is a sought-after speaker on these topics and has a TED talk about the impact of the creative industry for economic growth in Africa. 

Her latest media venture, TBTM Studios, is headquartered in Dubai and has a slate of projects across documentary and scripted featuring Africa’s leading voices. Mehret is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences
and is represented at CAA for film, television, and speaking.

On the night before her wedding, Kat’s fiancé dumps her. To cheer her up, best friends Noks and Lu,
persuade a devastated Kat to go on her honeymoon to Zanzibar with them; but will their friendship
survive a wild time in paradise?
A feel good whirlwind comedy focused on female friendships, THE HONEYMOON is a Pan African blend
of “Girls Trip” meets the “Hangover” spiced up with fusions of Asian, South and East African cultures
with a popping Afrobeats background.
THEMES:
Friendships
Gender equality
Marriage
Love

Wade in the Water is a feature documentary focused on telling the story and history of surfing from a truly Pan African perspective. It follows black surfing communities and describes some of the challenges they face as well as the benefits of the sport. A beautiful documentation of the sport’s evolution across the globe from a unique viewpoint.

You can follow the story at www.wadeinthewaterproject.com

THEMES:

Aquatic sports

Black History

Passion