Twenty young Beninese filmmakers have graduated from the KAP-SOPA Pan-African Filmmaking Bootcamp, with two of the three short films produced during the programme set to screen at the next edition of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF).
The opportunity was announced by AFRIFF founder and Executive Director, Chioma Ude, during the graduation and premiere of the films at KAP Film Village and Resort in Igbojaye, Oyo State.
Ude announced that two of the films would be screened in the Students’ Film category at the next edition of AFRIFF, giving the graduates an opportunity to take their work beyond the training programme and into the wider festival circuit.
The 12-week programme was organised by KAP Film and Television Academy in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Benin through its audiovisual agency, SOPA. The participants began their training in Cotonou before continuing with practical training and production in Nigeria, where they completed the three short films.
The graduation brought together government and diplomatic representatives, filmmakers, producers, curators, educators and other figures from the African film industry.
Among those present were film curator Keith Shiri, Cameroonian filmmaker and educator Jean-Pierre Bekolo, filmmakers Tunde Kelani and Tade Ogidan, filmmaker and media executive Femi Odugbemi, international producer Virginie Besson-Silla, Ude and actress Sola Sobowale.
The structure of the KAP-SOPA programme combined filmmaking theory with practical production, mentorship and exposure to professional filmmaking environments. The participants moved from classroom instruction in Benin to hands-on production at KAP Film Village in Oyo State, allowing the students to complete original productions in a professional environment.
The graduation further saw the unveiling of ITAN, The Screen Gathering and Awards, a new platform championed by KAP Group founder Kunle Afolayan. Femi Odugbemi performed the unveiling.
ITAN is conceived as a platform to bring together filmmakers, producers, distributors, investors, policymakers, academics and other stakeholders involved in African cinema.