 | |
| Location | Zanzibar, Tanzania |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Awards | Golden Dhow |
| Website | https://ziffestival.org/ |
Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), also known as Festival of the Dhow Countries, is an annual film festival held in Zanzibar, Tanzania and one of the largest cultural events in East Africa. [1] ZIFF is a non-governmental organization established in 1997 to develop and promote film and other cultural industries as catalyst for the regional social and economic growth. [2]
The annual multidisciplinary arts and cultural festival is ZIFF’s major activity; the festival is an all-arts affair, with 8 days of local and international discussion panels, workshops, 10 days of screenings of the best local and international cinema and evenings of musical concerts including a Gala each evening. All festival programs are a culmination of the realization of the capacity of film to fuse together the best of each art-form, offering a wide range of Entertainment, Educating and Networking options for world audiences. [3]
The festival is arguably the largest multidisciplinary art and cultural festival in Africa, and continues to lead as a tourist attraction event in the region. [3] [4] ZIFF now gives 12 International Awards presented by 5 International Juries. It is estimated that 7000 western tourists came to Zanzibar to attend the festival and the total festival audience was in excess of 100,000 with wide appeal across race, class and religions. Its impact on the economy of Zanzibar is unquestionable. [3] [5]
The ZIFF festival now runs 15 programs over the 10 days that include:
During the festival, films are shown in Stone Town in Zanzibar City, as well as rural Zanzibari villages. [7]
Biju Viswanath is an Indian film director, director of photography, film editor and screenwriter. Across various genres, he has made numerous films in different languages, notably, English, Tamil, Malayalam, Irish, Swahili & Urdu.
Udaya Prasanna Vithanage is widely regarded as one of the most talented and influential filmmakers in South Asia. He is known for thought-provoking films that often deals with social, political and cultural issues. His films have received numerous awards accolades, both locally and internationally and have been praised for their innovative storytelling.
François Verster is an independent South African film director and documentary maker.
Maangamizi: The Ancient One is a 2001 American / Tanzanian drama film directed by Martin Mhando and Ron Mulvihill and executive produced by Jonathan Demme. It premiered at the Pan African Film Festival and has played in over 55 Film Festivals worldwide. It was the Tanzanian submission for the Academy Award for Best foreign language film, the first film to be submitted from that country, but was not nominated.
Sulang Kirilli (The Wind Bird), (Sinhala: සුලං කිරිල්ලී) is a 2002 Sinhalese language feature film directed and produced by Inoka Sathyangani. It stars Linton Semage and Damitha Abeyratne in lead roles along with Jayani Senanayake and Leonie Kotalawela. Music composed by Navaratne Gamage. It is the 1018th Sri Lankan film in the Sinhala cinema.
Inoka Sathyangani Keerthinanda is an internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan film director, producer and former Chairperson of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation. In 2002 she received critical acclaim for her maiden effort Sulang Kirilli, which deals with the theme of abortion. The film won the highest number of awards won by a single film in the history of Sri Lanka's film industry. She is an active member of "Colombo Independents Cinema Forum" which works towards a "better and wholesome Srilankan cinema". After a highly productive maiden venture, she is regarded as one of the few successful female directors in Sri Lanka.
SIGNIS (official name: World Catholic Association for Communication) is a Roman Catholic lay ecclesial movement for professionals in the communication media, including press, radio, television, cinema, video, media education, internet, and new technology. It is a non-profit organization with representation from over 100 countries. It was formed in November 2001 by the merger of International Catholic Organization for Cinema and Audiovisual (OCIC) and International Catholic Association for Radio and Television (Unda). At its World Congress in Quebec in 2017, SIGNIS welcomed also former member organisations of the International Catholic Union of the Press (UCIP).
Earth and Ashes is a 2004 Afghan film directed by Atiq Rahimi, based on his book of the same name which was published in 2000. It was Afghanistan's submission to the 77th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film but was not nominated. It was also screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. It won the Golden Dhow award at the 2005 Zanzibar International Film Festival.
Warsaw Film Festival, also known as Warsaw International Film Festival, is an annual international film festival held every October in Warsaw, Poland.
Soul Boy is a 2010 Kenyan drama film, written by Billy Kahora and directed by Hawa Essuman. It developed under the mentorship of German director and producer Tom Tykwer in Kibera, one of the largest slums in the African continent, in the middle of Nairobi, Kenya. The film has received five nominations at the 2011 Africa Movie Academy Awards.
L'Esprit de Mopti is a 1999 documentary film about the city of Mopti, Mali, directed by Moussa Ouane.
Hawa Essuman is a film director based in Nairobi, Kenya. Her 2017 feature-length documentary Silas, co-directed with Anjali Neyar, tells the story of Liberian environmental activist Silas Siakor's fight to preserve the country's rainforests from commercial logging. The film won multiple awards, including the Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award (2018) and the Audience Award for best documentary at the RiverRun International Film Festival (2018). Hawa's first feature film, Soul Boy (2010), also received a series of awards. In addition, Hawa has produced a range of TV programmes, commercial films, music videos and adverts.
Doreen Mirembe, is a Ugandan actress, filmmaker, producer, founder of Amani and dental assistant at Pan Dental Surgery. She has acted in numerous films and TV series as well as producing her own movies.
Tanzania's film industry, also known as Swahiliwood or Bongo movie and Bongowood, was established around 2001.
The Dhow Countries Music Academy (DCMA) is the first and only music school in Zanzibar, Tanzania, located in Vuga (Culture Music Club Building) in Stone Town. The academy promotes and preserves music heritage of the "Dhow Region" which include countries along the shores of the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. Particular emphasis is being placed on teaching traditional music styles, such as Taarab, Kidumbaki or Ngoma.
Uhlanga the Mark also known as Uhlanga: The Mark is a 2012 South African drama film produced, written, directed by award-winning author Ndaba Ka Ngwane on his directorial debut. The film stars Sbo Da Poet, Thuli Mhlongo and award-winning DJ Linda Sibiya on his acting debut in the lead roles. The background music for the film was scored by Khulekani Zondi who also handled the cinematography and editing. The theme of the film is based on the violence and rural poverty in modern South Africa. The film was made with a low budget and was released on 15 July 2012. It received critical acclaim from the critics for its screenplay, visual effects and cinematography. The film was also premiered in several international film festivals in South Africa, UK, Italy and Germany. The film has won several awards and nominations in International film festivals.
Dominica or Dominic Dipio is a Ugandan religious sister, a filmmaker, author and a professor of Literature and Film at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. As a sister, she belongs to the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church, MSMMC, a Ugandan-founded religious congregation in Roman Catholic Diocese of Lira in Northern Uganda. In November 2019 she was appointed Consultor of the Pontifical Council for Culture by Pope Francis.
Godliver Gordian is a Tanzanian actress. She is a part of the New York-based humanitarian organization, Global Medical Relief Fund, and has helped albino graduates find jobs by speaking to employers on their behalf, irrespective of the fears associated with albinos in Tanzania.
Taghreed Elsanhouri is a British-Sudanese documentary filmmaker, film producer and author, based in London. She is mainly known for All about Darfur (2005), a film about the war in Darfur. For her 2012 documentary Our Beloved Sudan, she interviewed Sudanese politicians as well as a Sudanese citizen with parents from both the northern and southern parts of Sudan, presenting both political and individual stories before independence of South Sudan in 2011.
Hassan Benjelloun is a Moroccan screenwriter, director and producer. He is best known for his 2007 comedy Where Are You Going Moshé?.
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