Film festivals are rich in cultural, philosophical, and ethical diversity. In Africa, there are several notable film festivals: prestigious biannual Pan African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) in Burkina Faso, Zanzibar International Film Festival in Tanzania, The annual Durban International Film Festival in South Africa and The Nairobi Film Festival (NBO), with a special focus on screening exceptional films from around the world that are rarely presented in Nairobi’s mainstream cinema and spotlighting the best Kenyan films.
In Nigeria, one of the earliest film festivals would be the Zuma Film Festival which began as the Nigerian National Film Festival in 1992. It is organized by The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Information & Culture. Zuma Film Festival aside, there’s The International Forum on Cinema, Motion Picture and Video in Africa organized by the Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria (ITPAN) which only survived from 2001 to 2006. The famed Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) was created in 2010 by Chioma Ude; Eko International Film Festival (2009) by Hope Obioma Opara, Abuja International Film Festival (2004) by Fidelis Duker, IREP (2015) headed by Femi Odugbemi, RealTime Film Festival (2016) founded by Stanlee Ohikhuare, Surreal16 Film Festival (2021) by the Surreal16 collective, are amongst the long list of film festivals in the country. The major connecting element amongst these film festivals is that they are first and foremost platforms for film exhibition.
Film Festivals in general are designed to attract audiences both home and abroad. The many Nigerian festivals outside film are culturally significant to each region, often a total theatrical experience, of music, dance, and spectacle, and in the cultural context, Nigerian film festivals are allowed to absorb and integrate these forms into the core of their festival in whatever manner they choose. Film festivals can decide to operate on a nonprofit or for-profit-based model but with a combination of ticket sales, membership fees, and corporate sponsorship as the major sources of revenue. The beauty of film festivals is the variety of their model and content, from indoor to outdoor screenings, to genre-specific curations, to the pleasure of experiencing diverse ideologies and personalities.
The advent of The Annual Film Mischief in 2022 by the Film Rats Club; a growing film community sprouting from Nigeria gave itself a task to create a film festival to spotlight the best and brightest of the future of African cinema with unique narratives and styles. Borrowing the slogan “the light of art to shine over the world of commerce,” declared by the International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art in August 1932 (regarded as the first true film festival established by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s enthusiasm for motion pictures as a tool for political public relations and propaganda.). TAFM presents itself as a prestigious festival for the artistic underdogs and the festival has seen storytellers like Owen Olowu, Ebuka Njoku, Moses Ipadeola, Allen Onyige, Khagho Idhebor, Seun Afolabi, amongst others who are creating new narratives.
The Annual Film Mischief (TAFM) which had its first outing in March 2022 is pitching its place as a hybrid festival with onsite and online exhibition and programming. By March 2022, it made history by running its festival in two cities (Lagos & Ibadan) simultaneously, adopting a daring approach that questioned its sustainability. A year later the festival dreamed bigger with its Pan-African vision. Adopting a newer approach, with screens in Accra and Abuja, the festival took place in these cities, each curating its film selection from the 22 official selections.
How has this young team been able to organize a festival across states and two countries? “I suppose it all comes down to goodwill as the active ingredient in collaboration. As there was no payroll, everyone had to call on a “guy who knows a guy” and many of them came through thankfully. It’s about venturing into the deep and learning the hard mistakes. Uche Chika Elumelu – TAFM 2023 festival director
The festival was modeling itself after itself, of course upon a global cue. The Film Rats Club had designed a cluster model where each region had its little community managed by members of the cluster. This model was effective in setting up screens in Abuja and Ghana. Korede Azeez & Tobi Marho serve as cluster leads in Abuja (Ya Ran Sembene) and Dela Aderanti for Ghana.
The festival which was supposed to take place in March was postponed due to the political and economic upheaval during March in Nigeria 2023. Considerations were made and the festival date was moved to April. The festival partnered with Viva Cinemas; one of the country’s leading cinema houses and a host of sponsors and media partners. The festival showed a limited quantity of films chosen by an 11-member screening committee and screened by a 6-man Jury headed by Nollywood veteran, Ego Boyo.
Uche Chika Elumelu & Tomi Folowosele serve as the 2023 Festival directors taking over from Filmmaker Taiwo Egunjobi who had directed the maiden edition. The journey to executing such a daring vision would surely take a pound of flesh. In this interview, Uche Chika Elumelu, representing the festival team discusses the journey to executing the festival, its challenges, its impact on the Nigerian film industry, and the future of the festival.
Taking over from Taiwo Egunjobi, and working with the template from the first edition, what was that like? What were the challenges faced during the planning and the festival itself?
“For starters, heading this team with Tomi Folowosele was perhaps the best decision. Both of us essentially split the workload based on our strengths and it worked. The major challenge is getting a level of commitment from non-core team members. You know volunteer work offers little or no compensation so people find it hard to give their all (understandably so) but still…Securing sponsorship was another headache and honestly, how we made it through was a lot of sacrifice on people’s part. In all, it was worth it. Almost every single logo on that banner came with blood, sweat & some tears.” Uche Chika Elumelu.
Our returning sponsors were gracious as usual – VIVA, Uber, Heartist, ImpactHub etc. Getting the trust of the newer brands was a bit tricky pre-festival but I think they gained confidence in our brand when our wonderful media partners stepped on the gas. Kudos to our media partners, they are the bee’s knees! Special shoutout to WhatKeptMeUp for holding it down.
Impact on the industry
I believe we have set and established a precedent in the industry. We are confident that from here on out, we will become the go-to festival for authentic, innovative African storytelling, innovative ideas, film education, and documentation. That’s the dream and the club is getting more buzz for that. The festival is drawing attention to the importance of belonging to a film community and all its perks.
I think the question would be “What are we doing to keep it global?”
Global here would be continental in content & of course opening up conversations to the rest of the world. We’re currently in Ghana, as our Pan-African vision for expansion led us there. We dreamed of having other African countries for TAFM’23 but it didn’t happen as planned, but we’re working towards getting more African countries next year.
We’re also planning to create Film Rats communities in these Countries, as we’re currently doing with Ghana, with Adéranti Dela, the Country’s TAFM’23 Exec in Accra. So yes, we’re working towards that expansion and we want everyone in the community on that journey with us.
Let’s talk about TAFM 2023 selections. As Festival Director, what overlapping themes or topics have piqued your interest in this year’s crop? Do you find that any of the film offerings are kind of addressing similar sentiments or dissenting sentiments?
It speaks to the gospel we’ve been preaching here: Do great work, document, and celebrate it so that when you need people to come on board, they see something tangible. Presentation matters. Most of our jurors came on because they saw that air of ambition in the team. We are grateful to God of course because some things are inexplicable.
Interesting you should ask this because it struck me at the closing ceremony. Especially because I wasn’t a screener, it caught me by surprise. Abuse (sexual & psychological) was a modal theme during TAFM23. Broken Mask, SHE, Abe Ni, Traffick Me, Awaiting Trial et al. The Girl Child was also a recurring theme. It struck me too that these films were all different but somehow spoke the same language. Mainly address issues of Abuse, mostly geared towards the woman. It’s worth investigating, that’s why we’re focusing energies on having more in-depth post-festival conversations, especially with the filmmakers who were in selection.
This year saw an increase in awards, from Best Film Poster to Best Acting Performance. Are there plans for the winners? To check on their progress moving forward?
Oh yes, it is partly why we have launched the TAFM Alumni Programme. The winners have already been granted interviews post-TAFM and we plan to follow their artistic endeavours through the year. Community is very important and via TAFM, we are witnessing expansion.
The festival was a hybrid of physical and virtual. How did the club manage the virtual aspect of the festival? Was that a tacit admission that the future of media engagement is going to be very different?
This question came up during the planning phase. Yes and No. The magic of cinema (actual silver screen) and physical interactions cannot be overemphasized. We hope we can keep that alive while we engage audiences far and wide via the internet. Of course, TAFM will take on different forms to reflect the technological advancements of the day. I believe the hybrid structure is our charm for now.
In one sentence, what makes a great film?
For me “Airtight suspension of disbelief is the mark of a great film.” Before a person even starts to relate or be influenced, you need to first suspend them.
What does having a film festival mean for the Film Rats community?
It means access to more information for practitioners among us. It’s an avenue for us to know how festival circuits operate and apply ourselves accordingly. There is a reason the same crop of people seem to ace festivals- they remain plugged into information channels and make the best of opportunities therein. Ultimately, it means taking up space in the wider industry. More recognition and a healthy niche for the club.
Some members shared their feedback from the just concluded festival.
How do you feel about this year’s selections?
“I think it achieved the goal of “shooting the culture”. I got to see some fascinating and diverse stories that would stay with me for some time. I commend the organizers and everyone who made the festival a success.”
“It feels good to be amongst young people who are passionate about storytelling and the craft. I like the selection because it has given me and others a chance to see stories from filmmakers that aren’t mainstream but tell important stories. I feel with more support and sponsorship, we’d grow. I love the zeal of the people in charge of the festival and volunteers.”
I strongly recommend we keep the spirit of “Shoot The Culture”. It’s a campaign that should be integral to our creative culture.
TAFM 2023 Mini Documentary by Take One Productions.