Lola Kenya Screen

The fourth edition of Lola Kenya Screen, East Africa’s—nay Africa’s—first and only audiovisual media festival exclusively designed for children and youth has plenty lined up for everyone.

Goethe-Institut, the venue of the festival, shall be as busy as a bee hive 9am-8pm daily, August 10-15, 2009 as internationally-acclaimed media and film experts converge here to conduct the annual learn-as-you-do mentorship skill-development programmes, attend cutting edge conferences and exhibitions and network for the development of the audiovisual media sector in eastern Africa.

Among the highlights is a three-day conference bringing together independent producers of film, video and television in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, eastern Congo-Kinshasa, southern Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia. The aim of the conference is to explore and discuss ways in which the audiovisual media sector could be transformed into a viable and sustainable industry with proper policies to govern it.

“Five years after we were born in October 2005,” says founder and director Ogova Ondego, “Lola Kenya Screen continues to celebrate audiovisual media creativity, innovation and artistic excellence. And Lola Kenya Screen 2009, held on the theme, ‘The Cirle...’, shall be no exception.”

Inviting ‘everyone’ to the ‘feast’ at the festival, Ondego says more than 200 films from 50 countries and in 33 languages will be exhibited. “We hope that those who attend—and there is no reason why anyone should miss—Lola Kenya Screen 2009 will explore and discover the true meaning of this year’s theme over the six days of celebrating children, youth, family and creativity.”

“Besides our practical, hands-on, learn-as-you-do mentorship programmes through which we explore, identify and nurture creative talent among children and youth in areas such as journalism, filmmaking, arts appreciation, and organisation and presentation of cultural and creative events,” Ondego says Lola Kenya Screen 2009 shall showcase films in nine categories. The festivals shall screen special films for the very young (from 3-6 years) at 9 am daily. The films for those aged 7-13 years shall take off at 10.30 am and those for 14+ at 2pm. It is expected that older audiences shall feast on films 5-8pm.The film shows run concurrently with other festival activities.

The film screening categories are as follows:
4th Lola Kenya Screen Golden Mboni Award Competition
(For the Best Children’s Film Prize)
El Regala De La Pachamama by Toshifumi Matsushita, 2008, 104’ 00’’, USA
Kur Paludis Elvis by Una Celma, 2008, 78' 00'', Latvia
Izulu Lami by Madoda Ncayiyana, 2008, 99' 40'', South Africa
Io Parlo by Marco Gianfreda, 2009; 20’ 00”, Italy
Sotto Il Mio Giardino by Andrea Lodovichetti, 2007, 19’, Italy
The Magic Stamp by Tomoko Oguchi, 2009, 10’ 54”, USA
Frederikke by Heidi Maria Faisst,2008, 19' 00'', Denmark
Man Ham Hastam by Afshin Khaledi, 2008, 15’ 00’’, Iran
The Happy Duckling by Gili Dolev, 2008, 8’ 45’’, Scotland
Una Vida Mejor by Luis Fernandez Reneo, 2008, 13’ 00’’, Spain
Musen by Pil Maria Gunnarsson, 2008, 13’ 00’’, Denmark
For A Fistful of Snow by Julien Ezri,2009, 5' 42'', Switzerland
Delroy Kincaid by Powys Dewhurst, 2008, 7' 45'', Canada
Hammerhead by Sam Donovan, 2008, 14' 00'', UK
Pamelaby James Kanja, 2008, 12’ 23”, Kenya
Small Boyby Michelle Bello, 2008, Nigeria
Cuento De La C by Carlos Navarro, 7’ 07’’, Spain
Bestiario by Sergio Vega Borrego, 16’ 25’’, Spain
Gholaki ke peida kardam by Arsham Naghshbandi, 2008, 7’ 00”, Iran
Polo by Claver Yameogo, 2009, 7’ 00’’, Burkina Faso
Aan mard by Behrooz Ghobadi, 2008, 15’ 00”, Iran

14-Plus Competition
(For the Best Youth Film Prize)
A Beautiful Tragedy by David Kinsella, 2008, 58’, Norway
uGugu no Andile by Minky Schlesinger, 2008, 96’ 00’’, South Africa
Zimbabwe by Darrell James Roodt, 2008; 84’ 00’’, South Africa/Zimbabwe
A Crack in the Wall by Phillippe Talavera, 2008, 90’ 00’’, Namibia
Dear Mom by Yang-Lun Hsiao, 2008, 13' 25'', Taiwan
Babalwa's Story by Charlene Houston, 2008, 45' 24'', South Africa
Houna & Manny by Jared Katsiane, 2009, 10' 00'', USA
Cuandos Caen Los Idolos by Tomás Silberman, 2008, 10’ 00’’, Spain
La Tuerca by Azul Melissa Martínez, 2008, 10’ 00’’, Spain/Mexico
I heard You Looking by Yang-Lun Hsiao, 2007, 8’ 41”, Taiwan
From A Whisper by Wanuri Kahiu, 2008, 96’00”, Kenya

Films by Students
Pums by Federico Martin, 2009, 2' 56'', Germany
The Pottery's Tale by Maryam Bayani, 2008, 8' 34'', Iran
Elephants by Sally Pearce, 2008, 13’, UK
4 Kilometres by Miri Shapiro, 2008, 22’30”, Israel/UK
Per Second Killer by Ejim Fortune Kezi, 2008, 4’ 48”, Nigeria
Za Horyzont by Kuba Czekaj, 2007, 31’ 20’’, Poland
Eyes on the Prize by Omar Hamilton, 2008, 7’30”, Britain

Kids For Kids Africa Festival Competition

Films by Youth

Eastern Africa Prism

World Panorama

Television Series

Special Focus
A. Compilations
a). First Light Movies, UK
b). The Best of Kids For Kids Festival 2008, Global
c). UNICEF-Fundacion Kine Cultural y Educativa, Argentina
d). Docs for Today & Tomorrow, Kenya

B. Stand Alones
e). White Sand Black Sand by Fina Sensda, 2008, Spain
f). Mah Saah- Sah by Daniel Kamwa, Cameroon
g). The Day After Peace by Jeremy Gilley, 2008, 82' 00'', UK
h). Prince Loseno by Jean-Michel Kibushi N W, 2004, 29' 00'', DRC

C. Films Dubbed into Kiswahili
a). The Little Knight by Per Fly, Zentropa Productions ApS, Denmark 1998. 25 min.
b). Ernst Goes Skating by Alice de Champfleury, ASA Film Production A/S, Denmark 2002. 7 min.
c). War and Peas, Jannik Hastrup, Dansk Tegnefilm 2 ApS, Denmark 2005. 10 min.
d). The Tinderbox by Mihail Badica, Herremagasinet Film & TV ApS, Denmark 1993. 35 min.
e). Kirikou et la Sorciére (Kirikou and the Sorceress), 1998, Dir: Michel Ocelot, France, 74min

C. UNESCO Audiovisual E-Platform Special
The Children of Darfur
The Children of Inkisi