Documentary filmmakers from 26 countries will converge in the virtual space to showcase their
works to diverse audiences around the world.
Sixty films sourced from filmmakers in 26 countries in five of six continents of the world are featuring.
This is courtesy a collaboration between the Lagos-based iREP Documentary Film Forum/Festival and the US-based African World Documentary Film Festival at the School of Theatre, Television, & Film at San Diego State University.
Other collaborators have been drawn from Cameroon, South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda and the Caribbean.
Staying in faith with its usual thematic thrust, AFRICA IN SELF-CONVERSATION, the entire events – screenings,
conversations, lectures, producers’ conventions etc — will happen in the virtual world.
This is occasioned by the prevalent Covid-19 pandemic, which has rendered physical gatherings impossible, especially due to its stringent protocols. The advent of the pandemic had also halted the plan by the Lagos-based iREP to stage its grand 10th
anniversary edition in 2020 as the necessitated Lockdown was announced on the eve of the starting of the festival.
“Through the collaboration of both Lagos-based iREP and San Diego, US-based AWDFF, however, the
documentary world will be treated to a feast of flicks that have been carefully curated to reflect the diversities of
human experiences through themes that cut across social, cultural and political issues that affect the collective human family”, said the organisers in a joint-statement.
“The virtual option has enabled us to harvest films from even greater numbers of countries and filmmakers; and
especially the notion of bringing Africa and its diverse diasporas together has been greatly enabled by the virtual
option,” said the iREP programme directorate.
FEATURES OF THE FESTIVAL
The 2021 edition
“IREP-AWDFF 2021 is a necessary child of circumstances. In the world we currently inhabit, there is hardly any other way to realise the full potential of an international film festival of our pedigree than to collaborate and cooperate with other organisations with similar objectives. Luckily, we have always been in partnership with the AWDFF in our past 10 editions but we have also expanded to accommodate collaborations from colleagues in Cameroon, Rwanda, South Africa, and The Caribbean.”
Femi Odugbemi, Executive Director of iREP,
Why the Theme:
AFRICA IN SELF-CONVERSATION, drawn from the founding conceptual framework of the iREP Documentary
Film Forum, is designed to promote awareness about the power of the documentary format to serve as a means of deepening and sharing social and cultural education as well as encouraging participatory democracy in African
societies.
Educational Outreach
Significantly, the iREP-AWDFF partnership has enabled the extension of the Festival to university communities
across the continent and the diaspora, which had always been the strongest culture of the AWDFF, which started
and continued as a university-based festival project. To this extent, the School Outreach scheme will ensure
screening and conversation contents attract the interest and participations of students in select campuses in South
Africa, Cameroon, Nigeria, Rwanda, USA and The Caribbean.
Participating Filmmakers
Filmmakers participating in the festival have thus been drawn from Africa and its diasporas in the West, Europe
and the Caribbean: Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa, Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, Congo DRC, Sudan,
Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Botswana; Canada, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland,
Brazil, Mexico, Haiti, Australia.
Screenings:
Sixty films in all will be screened, and they cut across human experiences. There are, however, four STAR films to
be screened in each of the days. There are also four Premieres/Star screenings, vis
UNMASKED: Leadership, Trust and the Covid-19 Pandemic in Nigeria, (117mins); directed by Femi
Odugbemi; produced by Daria Media (owned by the renowned journalist ad media entrepreneur,
Kadaria Ahmed).
Synopsis: The Covid-19 pandemic has turned the world on its head and hit the world’s most populous black nation Nigeria with predictable ferocity. And with its soft underbelly of corruption, poor healthcare infrastructure, weak systems and an ever-increasing number of its population below the poverty line, the portent is dire. Could this also be an opportunity for reset?” It will be screened on Friday March 19 at
2.45pm, to be followed by a conversation around the making of the film, and how Documentary film could help deepen the culture of citizen vigilance and participation in democracy as well as ensuring responsive and responsible leadership and good governance.
CONFRA, (1hr, 44mins), directed by Ayo Adewunmi, CONFRA, according to the director, Adewumi —
who has been part of the iREP history for years, always travelling back home to premier his new works
at the festival — looks the new character of confraternities in the Nigerian universities.
Synopsis: “In 1952, Wole Soyinka (Nobel laureate), along with six other friends, started the Pyrates
Confraternity at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. The Supreme Eiye Confraternity began in 1963, and
the Buccaneers Confraternity in 1972. Some other groups emerged later, and they all coexisted peacefully
on the campuses.
However, in the 1980s, things changed. And ever since, it’s been violence, bloodshed and death on the
campuses. Students exchanged their pens and papers for guns and knives, and turned the Ivory Towers into slaughter slabs. To make matters worse, things have now spilled beyond the tertiary institutions into
the streets, with gangs and miscreants claiming to belong to some of the old fraternities. Confraternities have now turned into ‘secret cults’. How did this
happen? Where and how did we go wrong? What is the way forward? “CONFRA” as a documentary, tends to address these issues by allowing some of the key players express their views.” Ø ELDERS’ CORNER (97 mins); directed by Siji Awoyinka
Synopsis: “From the colorful, celebratory sounds of Juju to the politicised urgency of Afrobeat, Nigerian
musicians have spearheaded some of Africa’s most prominent musical movements. Oftentimes, their work formed the backdrop against which the nation blossomed. So, what happened to these pioneering artists who rose to prominence during the country’s halcyon years – and continued to endure when it
faltered? At its heart, Elder’s Corner is not only a voyage of return and discovery, it’s an epic tale of survival and the undeniable power of music to reconnect the present.
King of HIGHLIFE; Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson (The one who lived) (40mins); directed by Kaka Benson;
produced by Kaka Benson Universe.
Synopsis: A two-year documentary research film exploring the life and career of the famous king of
Highlife Music. It explores among others, Rex Lawson’s early life; music career and his death. It features
interviews and reflections by notable people who played various roles in the career of the legend, such as
HRM King Diete-Spiff (first Military Governor of Old Rivers State, Nigeria (1967-1975) and current Amanyanabo of Twon-Brass; Prof. (Sir) Victor Uwaifo, famous highlife musical artiste; and culture researchers, including Steven Osezua, convener of an highlife fans grou and Dr. Sam Dede, veteran Nollywood actor, and Senior Lecturer department of theatre/Film Studies, University of Port-Harcourt.
Others include: Pa. Tony Odili, lead drummer and the only surviving member of Lawson’s band as well as children and grandchildren of the late Rex Lawson.
THE SUPREME PRICE – Premiere/Star screening. Though not a new film, is a significant expose on the lingering matter of the annulled June 12 presidential election, especially its ripple effect on the lives of the family of the late businessman-politician, Chief MKO Abiola, leading to the death of his activist wife, Kudirat. According to Joanna Lipper, the director, producer of the 1hr 15m, film, The Supreme Price is a feature length documentary film that traces the evolution of the Pro-Democracy Movement in Nigeria and efforts to increase the participation of women in leadership roles. Following the annulment of her father’s victory in Nigeria’s Presidential Election and her mother’s assassination by agents of the military dictatorship, Hafsat Abiola faces the challenge of transforming a corrupt culture of governance into a democracy capable of serving Nigeria’s most marginalized population: women.
JANUARY 15 1970 – Untold Memories of the Nigeria – Biafra War’ (2hrs 30mins), directed by Ed Emeka
Keazor, produced by Alto Historical Media Production: For the Centre for Memories. Synopsis: January 15, 1970 marked the end of 30 months of war (1967-70) and many years of national crisis for the newly independent Nigeria. It ushered in peace but left deep pains for many of those who witnessed the events of the war. This documentary features the personal recollections of several subjects who shared their memories of the conflict, most for the first time on camera. The documentary also features rare archival footage, and present day locational footage, bringing to life the film’s narratives.
Other films, slated for premiere at the cancelled 2020 edition include: ChinaAfrica Mobile, directed by Daniel
Kotter; Painter – Juliet-Ezenwa-Pearce by Tam Fiofori; Eye of an Artist, by Kennii Ekundayo; 100 Days in Rwanda,
by Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin 11; Nightlife in Lagos, by James Amuta; among others.
Conversations
The iREPxCHANGE — unique feature of the iREP. Each of the four days of the festival will have a session of
Conversations — dialogue, exchange or lecture. This is designed to keep discussions and dialogues going on
around the significance of documentary filmmaking to the deepening of democratic experiences of Africa societies.
Thus, there will be:
Thursday, March 18 – presentation on ‘Documentary & Democratic Governance in Africa’ by Dr Joanna Lipper, producer of The Supreme Sacrifice;
Friday, March 19 – In-Conversation with Femi Odugbemi and Kadaria Ahmed, director and producer of Unmasked, moderated by Tony Adah, Professor of Film Studies at Minnesota State University Moorhead, USA, now on sabbatical with the School of Media Communications, Pan Atlantic University, Lagos.
Saturday, March 20 – Future Forward: Collaboration & Cooperative as template for Film Festivals. Moderated by the founder/director of AWDFF, Niyi Coker ‘Jnr, Professor & Director, The School of
Theatre, Television & Film, San Diego State University, San Diego, California. It will feature representatives of the collaborative organs and coordinators of the School Outreach for iREP 2021 as well as other resource persons.
Sunday, March 21: CORA ART STAMPEDE on the theme Documentary & Preservation of Memories, it will
feature the screening of JANUARY 15 1970 – Untold Memories of the Nigeria – Biafra War, directed by Ezennia Ed Emeka Keazor, followed by a conversation between the art critic and Secretary general of the Committee for Relevant Art, CORA and Ezennia
Keazor, who through his Alto Historical Media Centre has gathered substantial reputation as a documentarist of history and historical figures.
The Film Selection Process:
The programme directorate said that it had taken a bit of time and meticulous negotiations to convince filmmakers
to entrust their work to be screened in a virtual festival, which could be subjected to abuse if not carefully handled.
“Even as we get set for the kick-off, we are still in exchange with some of the filmmakers or their agents to give
full consent. However, the full security of the films is guaranteed through a screening system that ensures that the
copyright and integrity of the films are protected.”
About IREPRESENT INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL:
The Conceptual framework of iREPRESENT (iREP) is AFRICA IN SELF-CONVERSATION; and it is designed to promote awareness about the power of documentary format to serve as a means of deepening and sharing social and cultural education as well as encouraging participatory democracy in
our societies. iREP is conceptualized to create platform of awareness and expression for aspiring and practising filmmakers who are creating socially relevant documentary films to positively impact our world.
AFRICA WORLD DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL (AWDFF): Through the art of documentary filmmaking, the AWDFF is
committed to the promotion of knowledge, life and culture, of the people of Africa worldwide. Annually, the organization receives submissions totalling over 300 documentary films, out of which a selection committee recommends a maximum of 50 to 60 films submitted by filmmakers from all over the Africa world. The Africa World Documentary Film Festival is sponsored by The School of Theatre, Television, and Film at San Diego State University, San.
Jahman Anikulapo
F: iREP-AWDFF Virtual Festival 2021
