10th Edition of the Salaam Kivu International Film Festival in Goma, eastern DR Congo
From 3-12 July 2015, the Yole!Africa cultural center will host the 10th edition of the Salaam Kivu International Film Festival (SKIFF) in Goma, North-Kivu Province in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. SKIFF, Congo’s oldest international film festival, is an event that brings together up to 15,000 people in non-violent protest against war and political instability. The aim of the festival is to bring global attention to the east of Congo—specifically to the inspiring creativity and local initiatives that are addressing the urgent problems in the region.
SKIFF 2015 included an exciting list of international guests and premiers, including:
· the African premier of Irish photographer Richard Mosse’s The Enclave
· the African Premier of British filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel’s academy award nominated documentary Virunga--followed by a debate with the director, producer, and cast members
· a film production workshop with acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Mathieu Roy
· a premier performance by Congolese actor and stage director Jean Shaka
· a lecture series with American scholar Dr. Mark Katz, distinguished professor at UNC Chapel Hill and director of Next Level hip hop diplomacy project
· a leadership workshop with celebrated Congolese community organizer Samuel Yagase
· a filmmaking workshop with acclaimed Ugandan filmmaker Donald Mugisha
· a music workshop with American emcee and activist Pierce Freelon
· a filmscoring workshop with American musician and producer Joshua Vincent
· a dance workshop with American hip hop dancer Frank Perez
· a performance by Congolese musician Alesh DRC
· fashion show and design workshop by Congolese-American designer Eric Ndelo
SKIFF is organized by Yole!Africa, a cultural center that will celebrate its 15th anniversary during the festival. Yole!Africa, founded in 2000 by acclaimed Congolese filmmaker and activist Petna Ndaliko Katondolo, is a non-profit organization that provides training to young people in digital video production, audio and music production, journalism, computer literacy, and dance. The center serves 24,000 youth annually and is committed to providing young generations with critical thinking skills, practical training, and alternative educational models.
The co-producer of SKIFF is Alkebu Film Productions, an international film production company based in the east of Congo. The mission of Alkebu Film Productions is to advance alternative narrative approaches to telling African stories. To that end, Alkebu Film Productions organizes workshops, film screenings, and international exchanges during SKIFF.
The theme for SKIFF 2015 is Muda wa masujaa (unsung s/heroes)—a theme that draws attention to the extraordinary work of Congolese whose immense sacrifices for the good of the nation too often go uncelebrated in the current climate of war and corruption. To recognize Congolese excellence, SKIFF 2015 will present three prizes: the Lumumba Prize, which honors an individual who demonstrates extraordinary non-violent leadership in the field of Human Rights work; the Uwakili Prize, which honors an individual who distinguishes her/him-self in the pursuit of intellectual or scholarly knowledge; and the Sankofa Prize, which honors an individual who puts her/his prestige to the service of the greater good. In addition to honoring Congo’s unsung s/heroes, the festival will also consist of intensive workshops, performances, scholarly panel discussions, film screenings and debates, and fashion shows.
For more information about SKIFF 2015 please contact Yole!Africa: [email protected].