African Cinema in the 21st Century
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African cinema in the new century is imbued with promise but fraught with crisis. Films produced in Africa in the twentieth century have paved the way for twenty-first century films that speak to modern issues of the African culture, such as the impact of both Hollywood and European cultures on todayÆs Africans and their cinema. In its essence, African cinema is grounded in the African oral traditions and manifested in films that are made by the authors who wrote the stories, aspiring to send a message to the African people. This paper will answer a number of questions about African cinema, focusing wherever possible on sub-Saharan African cinema: How Did TodayÆs African Cinema Evolve? How Do Hollywood and Europe Affect African Cinema? Why are financing and distribution of African films a problem? How Can African Cinema Become More Independent? Why and How Do African Filmmakers Promote Cinema on the Continent? How Are TodayÆs African Films and Filmmakers Making an Impact? How Does Ousmane Sembene Epitomize Sub-Saharan African Cinema? How Did TodayÆs African Cinema Evolve? African cinema originated later than in other countries, primarily because of the colonization of Africa by the English and the French. These colonies left Africa divided into Anglophone, or English-speaking, and Francophone, or French-speaking regions, which in turn began generating films in English and French, respectively. Following its colonial peri
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n heritage or the African psyche, only in making blockbuster films. Europe, likewise, lacks appreciation for the African culture as it truly is. Therefore, it is up to African filmmakers to somehow break through all of the barriers imposed by outsiders to distribute and champion their own work.
How African Cinema Can Become More Independent
African cinemaÆs independence hinges on the transfer of funding, production, distribution, and exhibition out of the hands of Hollywood and Europe and into the hands of Africans. In terms of funding, the African Union needs to initially finance the African film industry to remove it from the hands of European investors and Hollywood directives; after that, it may eventually be able to exist on independently raised local and international funds. Furthermore, economic control of the industry needs to pass into the hands of the film guilds. The costs of large-scale and longterm projects for high-grade films can be somewhat reduced by the use of tax incentives, but the tax shelters for filmmaking that produced a proliferation of low-quality African films in the eighties should be avoided. The African Union can develop strategies and policies to govern the African film industry and enable
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Sub-Saharan African, French Wolof, African Union, Westerners Africa, South Africa, European American, Africaùthe SociTtT, Americans Europeans, South African, Furthermore Europe, african cinema, african film, african films, internet accessed, internet accessed february, accessed february, african filmmakers, south african, sub-saharan african, film industry, african people, african film industry, sub-saharan african cinema, february 27 2006, accessed february 27,
Approximate Word count = 4865
Approximate Pages = 19 (250 words per page)
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