The first edition of UDADA (UDADA means sisterhood) Film Festival will be held from the 24th – 29th October 2014. This women’s film festival will be the first in the region to feature women’s fiction and documentary film productions. The Festival will screen short, student, long feature and documentary films made by, or about women from all over the world.
Women filmmakers, especially in Africa, have been usually relegated to second place. As a festival we believe that through this initiative we will be able to provide a platform for established and emerging female talent in this industry to exhibit their work, discuss, exchange and network with each other, the public and other stakeholders.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVE
As a film festival we have a desire to make a difference in the world we live in. We believe that through the Udada Film festival we can influence the change.
Films are a reflection of reality. As a festival, we shall, by highlighting women and their work, also be exposing women’s issues, concerns and perspectives in the societies they live in. International films will give the audiences an insight into other cultures for comparison to their own.
The festival will offer an excellent opportunity to challenge female filmmakers to contribute more films and encourage sharing of knowledge about cultural heritage of different communities at the international level while promoting intellectual dialogue and encouraging mutual respect through films and exchange of expertise.
The Opening ceremony and Launch of the Festival will be held at National Museums of Kenya (Louis Leakey Auditorium) on the 24th October, from 5.30pm – 9.00pm.
The festival will have main screenings and filmmakers’ forum at Goethe Institute and special theme nights / screenings at Michael Joseph Center and Alliance Francaise. Regular screenings will be daily from 24th -29th October from 2pm -8pm.
Film makers from the region who have submitted their films will be invited to attend a forum to discuss film development, financing and distribution. Television producers will be invited to talk to filmmakers about the kind of content they need in future.
We have sent out a call for Films and expect to be receiving short films from Female
Film makers around the world.
Different cultures can be appreciated and understood through their different (or similar) traditions, foods, way of dress and languages. Theme nights, featuring different countries, will add to the learning experience of participants and visitors.
Film students from Kenyatta University, Multimedia University, KIMC and others will be invited to the various educational forums by the various international filmmakers who will be showing their films during the festival.
The Udada Film Festival will run a series for both professional and students with the following themes:
Film Funding by Judy Kibinge. Filmmaker and entrepreneur. She will also introduce DOCUBOX, a documentary film fund that Judy initiated through Ford Foundation.
Co-productions in film by Tsitsi Dangarembga. Tsitsi Dangarembga is a writer (Winner of the Commonwealth Prize for Literature), a director and producer from Zimbabwe, runs the only other women’s film festival on the continent. She is a graduate of the German Film and TV Academy (DFFB) Berlin.
Film Criticism by Dr. Rachael Diang’a, Lecturer at Kenyatta University at the Department of Theatre Arts and Film Technology.
Film Distribution and Social Media by Eva Mwaniki
Film Copyright Issues by Dr. MarisellaOuma CEO, Kenya Copyright Board
Acting for the Screen. Working with the director and crew by Stephanie Stremler. Stephanie is a German film actress.
Kenyan women film pioneers including director, actresses and producers will be invited to a forum to describe their experiences as pioneers. We will also honor and award Kenyan women pioneers in the film industry.
MATRID WANJAH MUNENE
Matrid Wanjah Munene is a Young Talented Passionate filmmaker; with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre Arts and Film Production from Kenyatta University.
She has been involved in a couple of productions locally as a Director and producer, she is also a Dance Choreographer both Traditional and Contemporary, and she has trained, directed and facilitated both National Drama and Film Festivals Workshop for Schools and Colleges.
NAOMI MWAURA
Naomi Mwaura is a champion for women empowerment programs; she has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Management and Organizational Psychology (Honors) from the United States International University, Kenya. She is the Founder and Managing director of Flone Initiative an organization that works with and coordinates women empowerment programs.
Her most notable recognitions are:
29th March 2014: Feature on Standard Newspaper titled “Tiny Frame with giant marks”
1st Nov 2013: Nominated as the “Opportunity Desk Young Person of the Month (November)”
26th Aug 2013: Nominated among the “10 Under 35 Change makers in Kenya You Need To Know”
WANJIRU KINYANJUI
Wanjiru Kinyanjui is arguably among the most accomplished women in the arts and film industry in Kenya, she is an academician who has mentored and inspired most budding film directors, actors/actresses and producers in the country and region. She is a Director, Screenwriter and Producer and a lecturer in Filmmaking and Animation at Multimedia University of Kenya. She is the Chair of the Film & Broadcasting Department. She was previously lecturing Filmmaking at the Department of Theatre Arts and Film Technology, Kenyatta University. Wanjiru has also published numerous essays, papers and poetry.
Wanjiru acquired a Master of Arts (MA) (English and German Literature) at the Technical University Berlin, Germany and later at the German Academy for Film & Television Berlin (Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin, (DFFB)). In 2008 she was admitted to the PhD program at Kenyatta University, School of Visual and Performing Arts, Dept. of Theatre Arts and Film.
Her most notable accolades are:
Organizer and Founding Chair of the 1st – 5th edition of the Kenya International Film Festival
M-net African Nominee for the film “Battle of the Sacred tree”
Black International cinema award for the film “De Kranke Vogel”, Berlin
Black Filmmakers Hall of fame award for Best Foreign Film in California, USA.
OCIC Award for “The Battle of the sacred Tree”, Milan, Italy
Best sound/music track for “The Battle of the Sacred Tree” at Cineweek, Kenya
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