Afrikamera
African Queers, African Movies, African Cultures
The nonprofit cultural association, toucouler e.V., has since 2007 engaged in the intercultural dialogue between Africa and Germany. With the “AFRIKAMERA – current African cinema” film festival, toucouleur e.V. seeks to counter the lack of awareness towards contemporary African film production in the German capital.
Assisted by the film media, AFRIKAMERA presents the overwhelming diversity of the African continent, consisting not only of the “typical” problems , such as violence, deceases and natural desasters, to the Berliner audience. These stereotype images and opinions regarding the continent will be contrasted by the diverse facets of the actual everyday life in Africa, thus made perceptible for the movie goer.
AFRIKAMERA sees itself as a new permanent platform for dialogue between African moviemakers and the Berliner audience, and as a venue for exchange between filmmakers, producers and distributors. To attain this, AFRIKAMERA cooperates with African film festivals, from Marrakesh to Durban.
From 2024 to 2027, the AFRIKAMERA – CONTEMPORARY CINEMA FROM AFRICA film festival will focus on diverse, inspiring, groundbreaking and sometimes contradictory perspectives on central social and political issues concerning the present and future of the African continent, with the four main topics BELIEVE * CHANGE * REFLECT and CREATE.
At the center of this year’s BELIEVE focus are films that deal with questions of faith, spirituality and self-empowerment. These shape private life and social relationships in many ways, are not infrequently a trigger for political conflicts – and a frequent topic among the younger generation of filmmakers as well. In addition, highlights of contemporary African cinema will be shown that premiered and won awards at major international festivals.
There will also be several short film programs, the special program BLACK JEWS – BETA ISRAEL, a long NIGHT OF SERIES followed by a FESTIVAL PARTY at Sinema Transtopia, and a CINÉ-CONCERT with a live band at City Kino Wedding, where the festival is making its debut this year.
AFRIKAMERA will open with THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE (Somalia/ Austria/ France/ Germany 2024), the feature film debut by Somali director Mo Harawe. The atmospherically dense family drama celebrated its international premiere as the first Somali film ever in the “Un Certain Regard” section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.