iREP DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL

(An international touring Documentary Film Festival located in Nigeria)
(www.irepfilmfestival.com)

PRESS RELEASE
Organisers of iREPRESENT (iREP) International Documentary Film Fest, wish to thank you immensely for the support you have rendered so far towards the realisation of the maiden edition of the annual touring festival, which is billed to hold January 20 to 23, 2011 at the TERRA KULTURE, TIAMIYU SAVAGE ST. VI and the LAGOS BUSINESS SCHOOL, VI. LAGOS
We also wish to apprise you of the latest information on the festival.
The iREP festival, initiated with the objective of promoting independent documentary features, in its objectives and contents, places emphasis on training and skill development to the benefit of the young, aspiring and practising film makers in Nigeria, especially for those with flair for Documentary films.

iREP 2011
(i) CONCEPTAL FRAMEWORK:
Africa In Self-Conversation
(ii) THEME:
Can Documentary Change the World?
(iii) OUTLINE:

3 Day Festival Schedule – JAN 20 – 23, 2010
The Opening Ceremony
Paper Presentations
Training & Workshop
Interactive Panel Discussion
The Screening Room
Networking & Mingling
Gala & Award

iREP 2011, the maiden edition of the fest is a 3-day event featuring paper presentations, screenings, networking, forums and workshops that will afford young filmmakers the opportunity to learn from industry veterans and build connections across the spectrum of creativity.

OBJECTIVE:
The maiden edition of iREP aims at introducing young filmmakers to the many opportunities documentary production offers. The Theme of iREP 2010: The Impact of Documentary Production in a developing Society/Economy; its cost effectives visa vice Film & Television production, Shooting techniques and tricks, Career advisory and more. Hence at least 4 professionals, specializing in key departments of documentary film making have been invited to conduct workshops and clinics in the course of the three day event.
A tentative line up of activities for the Documentary film fest is below:
:: Paper Presentations
:: Panel Discussion Session
:: Meet the Filmmaker
:: The Jury
:: Open Call
:: Documentary Film Screening
:: Workshops & Training

SYMPOSIUM/WORKSHOPS/PRESENTATIONS

(i) THEME: The Impact Of Documentary Production In a developing Society/Economy
Theme Summary: Written By Femi Odugbemi
"Can documentaries provoke change?
For Africa the global information order presents a narrative of wars, death, corruption and diseases. Who is telling the story of Africa and its realities and from what perspective? Can African filmmakers bring better understanding within and outside the continent with documentaries that give a more rounded definition of the African experience?
There is a dialogue on-going. Africa is in a conversation with itself concerning the shape of its future. A new order identifying new voices and new leaders, propagating new values of accountability, transparency, fair competition, social justice and economic empowerment is emerging.
It is a revolution of immense significance that is bringing a new optimism and pride about our future. Documentary filmmaking can be at the centre of shaping these discourses -- guiding and laying bare the issues.”

(ii) WORKSHOP/ SYMPOSIUMS
1. CAN DOCUMENTARY CHANGE THE WORLD?
(A keynote by Prof MANTHIA DIAWARA, New York University); (Responses by Discussants)
MODERATED BY : MR AFOLABI ADESANYA, MD, NFC

2. REDEEMING THE AFRICAN IMAGE : A CASE FOR AFRICAN DOCUMENTARY FILMS
(A panel of Filmmakers and Critics led by Lydie Diakhate ( Senegal/France)
MODERATOR: EMEKA MBA, DG, NFVCB

3. AFRICA IN SELF CONVERSATION
( A panel of Speakers led by Tunde Kelani and Sandra Obiago)
MODERATOR: TUNDE ADEGBOLA, Lecturer UNIBADAN

4. FILMS FOR DEVELOPMENT: ENGINEERING CHANGE IN AFRICAN POLITICS
(Lead paper by Bongiwe Selane (SA); Discussants)
MODERATOR: SANDRA OBIAGO, Director, CFC

5. MOTIVES OF BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS IN AFRICAN DOCUMENTARIES
(Roundtable, moderated by PROF TUNDE BABAWALE of CBAAC);
Panel led by Awam Amkpa

6. DIGITAL FILMMAKING, SHOOTING TECHNIQUES AND TRICKS FOR DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION
A mini training sessions and workshops within the festival for our audience of young and aspiring filmmakers on the above topic.

(iii) SCREENING
A rich collection of award-winning Documentary films by renowned filmmakers from across the world, especially Africa in the Diaspora and at home complemented by works of young and old filmmakers in Nigeria will be screened during the three day course of the iREP.
The List of Films to be screened include :
1. THE NIGHTMARE IN DREAMLAND - Edgar Wolf, Eva Grun
2. IN SEARCH OF HIP-HOP - Issraa el-Kogali
3. OULED LENINE - Nadia el Fani
4. NORA - Alla Kovgan and David Hinton (US/UK/Mozambique)
5. AWAITING FOR MEN - Katy Lena Ndiaye (Senegal/Belgium)
6. IN MY GENES - Lupita Nyong'o (Kenya)
7. THE TRUTH IS UNBELIEVABLE (Sri Lanka)
8. ZIMBABWES FORGOTTEN CHILDREN (Xoliswa Sithole) (South Africa)
9. BEHIND THE RAINBOW (Jihan el-Tahri) (South Africa) (FESTIVAL FILM)
10. THE MANUSCRIPTS & TIMBUKTU (Zola Maseko) (South Africa)
11. THE TROPICAL HOUSE (Manthia Diawara) (Mali/USA)
12. THE RABBABA MAN (Mario Mabor), (Sudan)
13. GREAT AFRICAN Series ( Soyinka, Mandela, Haille Selassie) (Akin Omotsho) (Nigeria/South Africa)
14. ORIKI; IBADAN; BARIGA BOYS (Femi Odugbemi (Nigeria)
15. CFC Documentary Films (Sandra Obiago) ( Nigeria)
16. NAIJA DIAMONDS (Inspire Africa) (Nigeria)
17. FESTAC 77 (UNESCO/CBAAC) (Nigeria)
18. OMO ALAKEETU (CBAAC) ( Nigeria/Brazil)
19. THE NIGHTMARE IN DREAMLAND (Adama Adamni) (Germany)
20. There are also others from Nigerians who have indicated interest in participating in the festival.


NB: A jury made up of professional and young filmmakers will shortlist the documentary films by Film Students in Nigeria to be screened at the festival.

(iV) EXPECTED PARTICIPANTS, BENEFICIARIES
Our Target Audience includes young/professional filmmakers, screenwriters, production Company executives, TV executives, feature Documentary development executives, film workers, distributors, commissioning editors, cinematographers, sales agents, producers’ reps, entertainment lawyers, animators, Editors, national and state film organizations, government agencies, trade show exhibitors, new media professionals and content
creators. Attendance is approximately 500 participants.

CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS
Among renowned professional filmmakers who have confirmed their participation are
1. JIHAN EL-TAHRI, Producer of BEHIND THE RAINBOW (South Africa)
2. DAVID MAX BROWN, Producer of THE MANUSCRIPTS & TIMBUKTU” directed by Zola Maseko (South Africa)
3. MANTHIA DIAWARA, Producer of THE TROPICAL HOUSE, who is also giving the keynote on Can Documentary Change the World ( Mali/United States)
4. Mario Mabor, Producer of “THE RABBABA MAN” ( Sudan)
5. TALAL AFIFI, ( A Film Festival organizer who is leading a team of three from Sudan
6. AKIN OMOTOSHO, Director of MNet GREAT AFRICAN Series
7. LYDIE DIAKHATE, Director of REAL LIFE DOCUMENTARY FORUM, who is leading Workshop Session
8. PROF. AWAM AMKPA, Director Africana Studies, leading discussion in the Symposium/Workshop sessions
9. ISSRAA EL-KOGALI, Producer IN SEARCH OF HIP-HOP (Sudan)

AWAITING CONFIRMATION:
10. BONGIWE SELANE, Producer of the MNet GREAT AFRICAN Series (South Africa)
11. ADAMA ADAMNI , producer of THE NIGHTMARE IN DREAMLAND (Germany)

NB: And from home-front is a list of about 10 film makers out of which at least the following have been confirmed:
1. SANDRA OBIAGO, presenting a collection of films from the COMMUNICATING for CHANGE
2. FEMI ODUGBEMI, presenting ORIKI; EYO; BARIGA BOY
3. INSPIRE AFRICA presenting NAIJA DIAMONDS
4. CBAAC presenting tow films – OMO ALAKETU and "FESTAC 77": a UNESCO and Nigerian Television Authority Documentary film
5. NATIONAL FILM INSTITUTE presenting works by about FIVE students

Each of the filmmakers will personally present their films and entertain questions from the audience, while also participating in the TRAINING and WORKSHOP sessions that have been scheduled to run in the course of the festival (please see details below).


The Symposium and Workshop sessions will have as LEAD SPEAKERS/DISCUSSANTS:
1. MR AFOLABI ADESANYA, Managing Director of Nigeria Film Corporation
2. MR EMEKA MBA, Director General, National Film And Video Censors Board
3. PROF. TUNDE BABAWALE, Director-General Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation, CBAAC
4. PROF MANTHIA DIAWARA, Director African-American Studies, New York University
5. PROF AWAM AMKPA, Director Africana Studies, New York University
6. Dr TUNDE ADEGBOLA, Lecturer University of Ibadan
7. MR TUNDE KELANI, Cinematographer and MD, Mainframe Productions
8. MR FIDELIS DUKKER, Director, Abuja Film Festival
9. MR BUSOLA HOLLOWAY
10. MR JAIYE OJO
11. MRS SANDRA OBIAGO, Director Communicating for Change

NB 1:
THE TRAINING/ WORKSHOP WILL BE DIRECTED BY MS LYDIE DIAKHATE , Director REAL LIFE FILM FORUM, the Major Partner of the iREP Documentary Film Festival.

NB 2:
The Festival Film Is BEHIND THE RAINBOW By Jihan El Tahri
(2009, 124 min.) documentary by Jihan El Tahri
Focused on the conflicts within the ANC, in power in South Africa after the end of Apartheid, this rigorous, complete and richly documented film deals with the fratricide struggle between Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. It is not restricted to the political analysis but also studies in depth their psychology. The destructive nature of power emerges and in particular the threats that hang over a country, the evolution of which is decisive for the future of the whole of the African continent.
Behind the Rainbow features key interviews with ANC current and former leaders including Jacob Zuma, Kgalema Motlanthe, Pallo Jordan, Thabo Mbeki and Terror Lekota.
Co-winner of the Walter Mosley Award, Real Life Documentary Festival 2009, in Accra.
Second Prize for the best Documentary at Fespaco 2009, in Burkina Fasso.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
About iREP
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.
To fully engage an array of trans-cultural creativity, iREP will provide a forum for everyone's ingenuity to be showcased without prejudice to style or subject.
iREP celebrates the ever expanding world of documentary films by inviting talents from across the globe to share ideas on trends and technological advancements in the format.
It will be held in different international locations; and will be networked to other established documentary projects around the world.
In 2010, iREP International Documentary Film Festival was founded by a board of directors which include; Femi Odugbemi, producer, director, past President of ITPAN (Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria) & CEO of DVWORX STUDIOS; Jahman Anikulapo, culture journalist and activist, Programmes Director of CORA (Committee for Relevant Art) & Project Director of Culture Advocates Caucus, (CAC); and, Makin Soyinka, culture activist, filmmaker and Director of The Lagos Film Office --- all are operatives of the West African Documentary Film Forum, WADFF – with a mission to develop and nurture the talent of young filmmakers in Africa and internationally. Dapo Kolade is Festival Director of iREP 2010.

Notes of iREP for Nigeria
It is imperative that at this time in its socio-political history, Nigeria ought to stand up and be counted among the real filmmaking countries, not only in Africa but also in the entire world. The example of countries like South Africa, Burkina Faso and many of the North African countries should serve as inspiration in this regard.
We recognize that in spite of the high rate of debutants, many of whom lack appropriate knowledge in relevant departments of film making, there are still quite a good number of well-trained, talented and serious filmmakers in Nigeria who are willing and ready to work hard to reclaim the lost glory of the industry. And this is a goal that the iREP desires to pursue in its operation, especially through its annual iREP International Touring Docu Festival.

Signed on behalf of iREP by

Femi Odugbemi
Executive Director
iREP INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
(January 5, 2010)





DESCRIPTIVE FILM PROGRAMME


BEHIND THE RAINBOW,
(2009, 124 min.) documentary by Jihan El Tahri

Focused on the conflicts within the ANC, in power in South Africa after the end of Apartheid, this rigorous, complete and richly documented film deals with the fratricide struggle between Thabo Mbecki and Jacob Zuma. It is not restricted to the political analysis but also studies in depth their psychology. The destructive nature of power emerges and in particular the threats that hang over a country, the evolution of which is decisive for the future of the whole of the African continent.
Behind the Rainbow features key interviews with ANC current and former leaders including Jacob Zuma, Kgalema Motlanthe, Pallo Jordan, Thabo Mbeki and Terror Lekota.
Co-winner of the Walter Mosley Award, Real Life Documentary Festival 2009, in Accra.
Second Prize for the best Documentary at Fespaco 2009, in Burkina Fasso.



OULED LENINE 2007, 81min., Tunisia) documentary by Nadia El Fani

The director Nadia El Fani portrays, through interviews and travelling over the country, her own father, one of the chief of the Tunisian Communist Party! “That was the time when we achieved Independence for the country, when women and men were equal, when…“ This film is made as a profound investigation upon modern History. Yet, it is full of emotion as it depicts a family ‘saga’ over a few generations, over just the last fifty years or so… on both banks of our common sea: the Mediterranean.





AWAITING FOR MEN
(2007, 56 min., Senegal / Belgium) documentary by Katy Lena Ndiaye

Oualata, the red city to the extreme east of the Mauritanian desert. In this small island, rampart against sands, the women devote themselves to the art of painting, they decorate, the walls of the city. In a society which seems dominated by tradition, religion and men, three of these women express themselves with a surprising freedom on their manner of perceiving relation between the men and the women.
Co-winner of the Walter Mosley Award, Real Life Documentary Festival 2008 in Accra.





THE TROPICAL HOUSE
(52 min., 2008, Portugual, Niger, Congo) documentary by Manthia Diawara
In the late 1940’s, bulder and architect Jean Prouvé designed three prefabricated aluminium Maisons Tropicales as prototypes for the housing of French colonial administrators in Africa. One was sent to Niamey, Niger and two to Brazzaville, Congo. Recently they were removed and have since been exhibited in Europe and North America, and sold for millions of dollars. In 2007, Angela Ferreira made an installation on the Maisons Tropicales for the Portuguese pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Manthia Diawara’s documentary to a complement to the Ferreira artistic project, and brings to the light the hidden stories and memories of those left behind in Africa when the Maisons Tropicales were removed. It is a postcolonial excavation into African identity, art, and the notion of cultural patrimony.

IN MY GENES
(2009, 78min., Kenya) documentary by Lupita Nyong’o

In My Genes addresses the personal and societal challenges that people with albinism face as members of one of the most hyper-visible and misunderstood minority groups of Kenya's predominantly black society through the experiences of eight individuals from different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Through this uplifting story of discrimination on the basis of skin colour, not only does she want to shed light on the problem of stigma, but also hopes to celebrate human difference.


NORA
(2008, 30 min., US/UK/Mozambique) documentary by Alla Kovgan & David Hinton

“Nora” is based on true stories of the dancer Nora Chipaumire, who was born in Zimbabwe in 1965. In the film, Nora returns to the landscape of her childhood and takes a journey through some vivid memories of her youth. Using performance and dance, she brings her history to life in a swiftly-moving poem of sound and image. Shot
entirely on location in Southern Africa, “Nora” includes a multitude of local performers and dancers of all ages, from young schoolchildren to ancient grandmothers, and much of the music is specially composed by a legend of Zimbabwean music - Thomas Mapfumo.
AfroPop Prize, Real Life Documentary Festival 2009 in Accra.


THE NIGHTMARE IN DREAMLAND
(45 min., 2010, Ethipia-Germany) Edgar Wolf, Eva Grün, Adamu Adamni

Dubai is the Gulf’s very own fairytale city, yet tales of misery lurk behind its gleaming facades. Many emirate families retain a housemaid, mostly from the Philippines, Ethiopia and elsewhere. What initially seemed to be a dream job often turns out to be the stuff of nightmares with long working days, no breaks, very little food and no wages. Many of these young women are beaten, and even sexually assaulted by the men of the house. The investigation relates a tale of modern slavery. It accompanies Trungu, a young Ethiopian woman, as she prepares for her new job with the help of an agency in Addis Ababa. The camera follows her as she flies to Dubai up until the moment her passport is taken from her upon arrival...



IN SEARCH OF HIP-HOP
(7min., 2010, Sudan) by Issraa El-Kogali. In Arabic with English subtitles
Why is Rap a means of expression for young Sudanese? Who is their audience? What inspired them to become Hip-Hop artists? We see a few young men who introduce themselves as Hip-Hop artists and MCs at their performances and/or in the recording studio, around the city, and at a major Hip-Hop event – the “Sudan Boom Box”. We get a taste of the flavor of Sudanese Hip Hop by glimpsing their talent.
On stage they are Mojo, DZA the Dissenter, MC Mo, the BiB and LUAL. Who are these Sudanese artists forming the emerging Hip-Hop scene in Khartoum?



THE RABBABA MAN
(15 min., Sudan 2010) by Mario Mabor. In Arabic with English subtitles
Mohamed earns the money to feed his 14 children by manufacturing and selling Rabbabas (traditional Sudanese string instruments) on the local markets of Khartoum. His qualities as an entertainer brought him street fame, but never made him rich.