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Ghanaian Filmmakers Dominate Black Star International Film Festival 2020 Official Film Selections
Twenty-two new films have been selected to compete in the live virtual edition of Black Star International Film Festival dubbed “Connect.” The Festival announced that the 2020 virtual edition is set to take place from September 24-27, 2020.
The manager of the BSIFF this year, Ms. Philippa Ama Bentuma Arthur shares that,
“Over 200 hundreds films were submitted from different countries; however, only 22 of those were selected by the Jury for premier in Ghana.”
As is the case annually, many filmmakers’ around the world submit their films to the Festival. A “capable” panel of Jury members go through the arduous task of choosing the final films that make it into competition, during the Festival.
This year, as part of efforts to celebrate Ghanaian filmmakers, the Festival announced a special award category for Ghanaian films called the “Odehye3 category.” According to organizers of BSIFF, many of the submitted films were from Ghana, and many of those films have made it into competition.
The 22 selected films will compete under eight categories comprising of: Documentary, Short Film, and Feature Film, Women in Film, Student Film, Africa Rising, the ‘Odehye3’ category and Animation. Additionally, three more films will screen under the non-competitive category.
Below is a list of all the films that stand a chance of winning cash awards at the Festival, this year:
| COMPETITIVE CATEGORY | TITLE OF FILM | NAME OF FILMMAKER | COUNTRY OF ORIGIN |
| ODEHYE3 | HEROES OF AFRICA
SUE SAEED FORT PRIZENSTEIN |
FRANK GARBIN
ZADOK DONKOR KEKELI QUASHIEGAH |
GHANA
GHANA GHANA |
| SHORT FILM | SKIN
THERAPIST NOTFA 70 YRS OF BLACKNESS |
FRANCOIS MORRISET
KANSO OGBOLU SALEM ALHACHITY ABDALLAH AHIN |
USA
NIGERIA LEBANON GHANA |
| AFRICA RISING | THE STAR BOY | JAMES DEACON | GHANA |
| DOCUMENTARY | TWOUB MANTLE
A TOWERING TASK BURKINABE RISING (AGROECOLOGY) BURKINABE BOUNTY (ART OF RESISTANCE) |
JEAN-RENE RINVIL
ALANA DEJOSEPH LARA LEE
LARA LEE |
HAITI
USA BURKINA FASO
BURKINA FASO |
| STUDENT FILM | BENEATH THE SURFACE
SEARCHING FOR THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN PUPPY LOVE
THIS LADY CALLED LIFE |
GRACE ADJETEY
LENA WINDISCH
DAREEN HEARD
KAYODE KASUM |
GHANA
GERMANY
USA
NIGERIA |
| FEATURE FILM | SEVEN
LOST IN TIME WHAT DOESN’T KILL US |
TOSIN IGHO
PETER KAWA BREDDEN HUBBARD |
NIGERIA
KENYA USA |
| WOMEN IN FILM | WALKING IN THE SHADOWS
THE WOMB |
EDWARD MULANDI
ABA ARTHUR |
GERMANY
USA |
| ANIMATED FILM | JUMBIE KIDS | VERNA CORBIN | USA |
| NON-COMPETITIVE CATEGORY | JUNGLE JUSTICE
THE FIRST CHRISTIAN IN SEARCH |
IDOWU OKENIYI
AMIR ABDALLAH A. GBANKULSO
|
GHANA
GHANA GERMANY |
This year’s edition of the Festival, due to the recent global pandemic, will run as a live virtual event dubbed, “Connect” from 27th – 30th September 2020 on the official BSIFF websites and social media platforms. Visit www.bsiff.org to sign-up.
BSIFF Connect will have exciting and educative range of activities including, masterclasses, panel sessions, daily film screenings, an opening ceremony, awards night and a music concert.
Visit the above websites for further details or call/ WhatsApp +233 506481853 for enquiries.
The Black Star International Film festival (BSIFF) is organized by the Black Star International Film Institute, a not-for-profit organization with the advocacy drive of positioning Ghana as a film hub (helping to make Ghana both a key festival and holiday destination), and focusing on the business of film and industry advocacy.