Lola Kenya Screen

Films made by children aged 6-15 years during Lola Kenya Screen film production workshops have been nominated for the all-Africa Movie Academy Awards set for Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, on April 4, 2009.

Nominated for Best Animation are LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS by Adede Hawi, Samora Michelle and Karama Ogova (2007); MANANI OGRES by Joseph Hongo, Marcus Joseph, Norrick Joseph and Samuel Musembi(2007); and CHEPRONO by the 2008 workshop participants.

Whereas LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS and MANANI OGRES were made under the guidance of Finnish tutor Maikki Kantola with the support of the Danish Film Institute, the latter was made under the facilitation of Egyptian Dr Eid Abdel Latif with the support of Africalia of Belgium.
 

Also nominated for Best Documentary (Short Subject) is SANTOS THE SURVIVOR, a film on how an orphaned child survives in Nairobi made by Rupinder Jagdev in 2008 during a Lola Kenya Screen film production workshop—Children and Docs—facilitated by Dutch documentary filmmaker Duco Tellegen with the support of the Jan Vrijman Fund/IDFA of The Netherlands.

Lola Kenya Screen founder and director Ogova Ondego, who is attending the 21st Pan African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), was elated with the nomination that was announced on March 3, 2009 by AMAA CEO, Peace Anyiam-Fiberesima.

''These nominations affirm that Lola Kenya Screen is on the right track. Though our films are made by children over a four-day period on zero-budget, yet they are able to successfully stand alongside those made by adult professionals. These nominations have emboldened us and given us more confidence to trudge on deeper into the jungle that is African filmmaking,'' Ondego, who produces Lola Kenya Screen productions, said in a statement in the African film capital.

''I thank our partners spread across the world for the support they accord us. We shall forever be grateful to ComMattersKenya of Kenya, Goethe-Institut in Kenya, The Danish Film Institute of Denmark, the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development and Jan Vrijman Fund/IDFA of Holland and Africalia of Belgium.''

Lola Kenya Screen films have been shown on all continents and won awards along the way.