Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO)
VERDICT: Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO)
The 28th edition of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) was an excellent success for Burkina Faso’s capital.
Thousands of Burkina Faso residents and international festivalgoers packed the Palais des Sports complex in the Ouaga 2000 district for opening ceremonies of the African continent’s largest and oldest film festival, Fespaco. This year marked the festival and television market’s return to its standard timeframe post-COVID-19 pandemic, during late February into the first week of March 2023.
Since 2015 Burkina Faso has been battling insurgencies by jihadist groups in the north and eastern regions. Within the last year it has endured two coups, making this year’s festival a special time for hosting. Security was tight in and around the venue, with the army positioned strategically across Ouagadougou.
“In the face of the unprecedented security crisis, we remain standing,” said Burkinabé’s former Fespaco Film Archivist, Patrice Napon.
Fifteen films were in competition for the top prize, the Yennenga Golden Stallion. In total, 70 cinema, television films, and series were selected by Fespaco’s general delegate, Alex Moussa Sawadogo, for this year’s eleven categories.
Top winner Fespaco 2023 edition:
First Place Tennenga Gold Stallion: Ashkal – by Youssef Chebbi (Tunisia)
Second Place prize: Sira?- by?Apolline Traoré?(Burkina Faso)
Third Place Prize:?Shimoni?- by Angela Wamai (Kenya)
This year, the bi-annual showcased the first Filmmaker Accelerator Program, a Product-Based- Learning Initiative designed for Burkina Faso cinema students interested in film and new media career paths. The project is organized by Plan B Agency based in the USA and its alliance partner ARDN Red Card, in collaboration with FESPACO, Gcom productions, and educational partners, ISIS – High Institute of Technological Information and Communications, and the Swiss UNEF University of Burkina. “We are excited and proud about this progressive educational project and working with Plan B Agency as they engage cinema students from West Africa to create these video campaigns to expand our message,” said Richard Tiene, producer/director and owner of Gcom productions, Burkina Faso.