By Sainabou Sambou
The President of the Film Producers Association of The Gambia (FPAG), Prince Bubacarr Aminata Sankanu, has revealed that the stage is set for the 5th annual edition of Cinekambiya Film Festival, as it is scheduled to take place from the 6th to the 14th December 2024, at the University of The Gambia (UTG) Campus in Kanifing. Cinekambiya International is an annual film festival founded by Prince Bubacarr Aminata Sankanu in 2015 as a festival for films made in indigenous languages not always considered in more mainstream festivals in the West. As many African filmmakers cannot afford to visit festivals on other continents, CIFF was designed to provide an alternative for them to expose their works to domestic and international audiences. The festival is organized by Sanxaari, the production company of prince Bubacarr Aminata Sankanu.CIFF is also promoting synergy between academic and professional practice. It is supported by the German cultural organisation FilmInitiativ Köln.
In an exclusive interview with The Gambia Daily, Prince Sankanu, who is also the Deputy Government Spokesperson, and lecturer of Film Studies at the University of The Gambia School of Journalism and Digital Media, spoke in depth about his upcoming Cinekambiya International Film Festival. He described it as The Gambia’s premier international standard platform for showcasing Gambian and international excellence in cinema arts. “This year’s theme, ‘The Advancement of Creative Freedom Under the Barrow Administration Since 2017’, is a theme that inspires a comparative analysis of the situation with creative talents before and after the January 2017 transfer of power to the Barrow Administration. Before, there were many limitations on creativity but since 2017 one can see vibrancy in music, television, film, fashion and other sectors of the cultural and creative industries. It is fair to reflect on this transformation, he remarked.
Mr Sankanu said he reviewed the last four editions of his films to enable him gauge and track the positive outcome, and come up with a relevant theme for this year. According to Sankanu, he invited filmmakers to submit their works and so far, got films from The Gambia, Senegal, Liberia, Togo, Sierra Leone, Germany, France and Egypt. He went on to explained that the films are scheduled for screening before the audience during the five-day festival period. He mentioned that there is a team responsible for the logistics, promotions, programming and other preparatory activities and that invitation letters are also being dispatched accordingly. Mr. Sankanu enlightened that films are important instruments for cultural expressions. “People learned about India, America, China and other countries mostly through their films. Gambia has a vibrant cultural heritage that can be shared with the rest of the world.”
He added that the festival is an international rendezvous for movie lovers and those who enjoy watching movies as the ultimate goal is to expose Gambian audiovisual talents and inspire collaborations among filmmakers and movie enthusiasts which will also promote The Gambia’s cultural diplomacy. On the challenges, the Film Studies lecturer highlighted that the most challenging problem is raising funds. “The Gambian film industry is still very young and it will take time before sponsors understand the importance of film as an instrument of national development,” he stated.
