iREP FILM FESTIVAL 2022 HOSTS THE WORLD TO A FEAST OF UNFILTERED AFRICAN TRUTH
Joseph Omoniyi
For 12 years, Africa’s biggest Documentary Film Festival, iREP has treated the rest of the world to flicks of feasts, films that feature diverse perspectives, carefully curated to reflect on the various facets of human experience, staying in faith with its thematic thrust, Africa-in-self conversations, with screenings, events, lectures, producers’ conventions, training and more.
The festival which was founded in 2010 out of the motivation to see the creative revolution in many African countries birth new, young creatives who understand and embrace the power of fact-based filmmaking in order to shake the system and tear the veil off real-life issues on the continent, is changing the narrative, creating impact, demanding accountability in many areas of governance and development. This year’s edition which kicks off March 17-20 will be a hybrid of both physical and online screenings with meetings in and around Lagos.
The hosting city and its environs are set to be thrilled to world-class eye-popping documentary films with the critically acclaimed film, President by Camilla Nielsson opening the event at Tera Kulture , Freedom Park, Broad Street, and at the Art Factory hall of the Crown Troupe of Africa in Bariga. While, Garderie Nocturne (Night Nursery), which won the Best Documentary film grand prize at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival, FESPACO in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, has been selected as the closing film.
President tells the story of Zimbabwe – after the removal of Robert Mugabe, the country is facing a crucial election, which will determine the future of the country. The results will be used to guide the nation’s development, as well as the interpretation of democracy.
Night Nursery which drew popular appeal after it was announced as the winner of the FESPACO 2021 Stallion of Gold of Yennenga Prize, is a fascinating story of the lives and activities at a popular ‘social’ centre in Bobo Dioulasso, one of Burkina Faso’s major cities. The 67-minute film directed by Moumouni Sanou will be the last of the screening movies at the 12th edition of iREP festival. The programme of presentation and panel discussions will however be done virtually via the festival’s official website: www.irepfilmfestival.com.
The 2022 iREP Festival which is exploring the theme UNFILTERED: African Stories. Stories from Africa is set to screen not less than 80 films from 24 countries, four of six continents. The organisers revealed that the theme was necessary to examine how Africa is being represented or otherwise by filmmakers and storytellers who engage her issues.
Co-founder of the Festival, Femi Odugbemi explained that the emphasis of the theme is on stories that portray the truth beyond the gaze of the international media that can be guilty of fetishizing Africa as merely poverty, unrest, and fearsome nature.
The writer, producer, and director said, “The visions of Africa that still sustain in many places are ones captured in national Geographic magazines – a jungle reeking of great dangers and lacking civilization. These are the ‘stories of Africa’ nurtured by some global news organisations and it has permanently marred the name of the continent with wars, diseases, poverty, and instability. Yet the truth of the ‘African stories’ today is different. It is by no means perfect, but there is emerging new order, identifying new voices and new leaders, propagating new values of creativity, enterprise, transparency, fair competition, social justice, economic empowerment. It is the revolution of significance that should bring optimism and pride about Africa’s future. We have needed to tell our stories to counter the one-dimensional understanding of the continent.”
The participating filmmakers have been drawn from Africa and its diasporas in the West, Europe, and the Caribbean: Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Cameroun, Egypt, Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Congo DRC, Senegal, Botswana, Sudan, Rwanda, Niger, Burkina Faso, France, UK, Canada, Belgium, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Haiti, Switzerland, Australia.
Meanwhile, this edition of the 12-years-old festival will as usual feature the Orange Exchange Program in conjunction with iREP organisers, to support young African creatives to explore the power of storytelling, as a driver of positive social change. The Orange Academy flagship course will feature multiple award-winning screenwriter, director, researcher, and senior lecturer at Bournemouth University, United Kingdom, Samantha Iwowo(Ph.D) as Guest Speaker.
LIST OF THE SELECTED FILMS FOR 2022
