:: Kenya Selected to Represent International Centre of Cinema for Children and Youth, CIFEJ, in Africa

The Nairobi-based Lola Kenya Screen, an international audiovisual media festival, production workshop and market exclusively designed for children and youth held every August, will now host Kids for Kids Africa, an initiative of CIFEJ that identifies awards and showcases films made by children for children across the world. Among other things, Lola Kenya Screen will look for films made by children across Africa, have them judged by children and then submit them to CIFEJ to be presented and judged at the Kids for Kids International festival.

This conclusion was reached at the CIFEJ General Assembly held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, October 15-19, 2007 and at which Africa was represented by Lola Kenya Screen director Ogova Ondego of Kenya and Children’s Broadcasting Foundation for Africa director Firdoze Bulbulia of South Africa.

It was agreed that Lola Kenya Screen, being an annual festival for children and having won the inaugural grand prize at the 5th World Summit on Media for Children/ Kids for Kids Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa, in March 2007, be the centre of CIFEJ in Africa.

Ondego described this development as an honour not only to Kenya and Africa but also to the Lola Kenya Screen audiovisual initiative.

Having been held for the first time in August 2006, Lola Kenya Screen is already growing into a much respected brand for children and youth, Ondego says.

The second Lola Kenya Screen festival, for instance, experienced a 7.5% (from 4000 in 2006 to 4300 in 2007) growth in attendance, 29.1% in film screening (from 216 in 2006 to 279), 24.3% in number of participating countries (from 37 to 46), 60% (from 25 to 40) expansion of participation in the four official programmes (children’s press, children’s jury, children’s programme presentation, children’s production workshop), and 100% (from one children’s production workshops in 2006 to two in 2007; one for children and another for youth) growth in production workshops.

The children’s production workshop made a three-film and three-song compilation titled AFRICAN FOLK TALES ANIMATED with the following films:

1. The Wise Bride
When two suitors compete for a beautiful girl, only the girl's ingenuity carries the day.
Film by Alexandria Ngini, Aysha Satchu, Layla Satchu and Flora Wanjiru; 5 minutes

2. Little Knowledge is Dangerous
In an attempt to shock everyone with their clever-by-half antics, Mjinga, Juha, and Mwehu end up frying themselves in their own oil.
Film by Samora Michelle, Adede Hawi NyOdero and Karama K Ogova; 5 minutes.

3.Manani Ogres
Vigilance is important. But where it fails, drumming, music and dance have to be employed. The film demonstrates the power music has on every living thing, including man-eating ogres.
Film by Joseph Hongo, Marcus Joseph, Norick Joseph and Samuel Musembi; 5 minutes.

Held August 6-11, 2007, Lola Kenya Screen 2007 was presented by ComMattersKenya in conjunction with Goethe-Institut in Kenya with additional support from Danish Film Institute, Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development, and ArtMatters.Info, The CRADLE Children's Foundation and Kenya Film Commission.

The third Lola Kenya Screen is scheduled for August 4-9, 2008 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Another landmark decision reached in Amsterdam was to move the CIFEJ head office from Montreal, Canada, to Johannesburg, South Africa, over the next two years. Bulbulia was elected Secretary-General over the period that begins in January 2008 and ends in 2010. Perhaps it was out of the recognition that it was Bulbulia’s CBFA that successfully hosted the 5th WSMC, bringing hundreds of international delegates for the first time that the event took place on the African continent.

The CIFEJ General Assembly coincided with the 21st Cinekid, the largest and most prestigious annual film, television and new media festival for children in the world.

Here, Ondego was also one of five international experts in the field of films and culture for young people who judged and awarded excellent films (October 14-21, 2007).

The international jury awarded the Cinekid Lion, complete with €15000 to
MAX MINSKY UND ICH/ Max Minsky and me, a German film directed by Anna Justice in 2006.

The Dauphin d’Or, an award by CIFEJ-Delphis Films, went to KIDZ IN DA HOOD, a Swedish film co-directed by Catti Edfeldt and Ylva Gustavsson. It went with US$5000.
The Dauphin d'Or is given to "the film that best supports, in form or content, the rights of the child as written in the UN Conventions."

For details and pictures, please contact:

Email: director@lolakenyascreen.or.ke or film@artmatters.info
Tel: 254 20 315 258/ 221 3 318 or 254 733 703 374
P O Box 20775-00100 GPO, Nairobi, Kenya (EA)

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