Africa in Motion Film Festival 2012 announced

Following the success of the 2011 Africa in Motion Film Festival, which offered a vibrant mix of films showcased at Edinburgh’s Filmhouse Cinema on Lothian Road, the event will be back from 25 October to 2 November 2012.

Dubbed Scotland’s biggest celebration of African cinema, the theme of this year’s collection of films is ‘Modern Africa’, which promises to explore ‘African urban and rural experiences, identity and popular culture, contemporary politics and social issues, Africa’s rich heritage and its exciting future’.

With 20 UK premieres, 23 feature films and 32 shorts, the event hopes to attract a wide variety of cinema-goers, encouraging those who have not been before to see what is on offer. This year the event will also show films at the Glasgow Film Theatre.

Isabel Moura Mendes, Director of the Festival, said:- “We are both thrilled and extremely proud of the strong programme of films and events we are bringing to our audiences this year. Our wide and diverse contemporary Africa-focused programme will entertain, inform, surprise and move people. Above all, audiences will be offered the opportunity to engage with the best of African cinema.”

The programme takes in five strands; African Science Fiction, Arab Spring Documentaries, Nollywood (Nigeria’s film industry, the second largest in the world), Modern African Identities and African Popular Arts. It also incorporates the annual Short Film Competition, African Films for Children, a Secondary Schools Screening and an academic Symposium.

The full programme is available online and more information, including teasers of the upcoming events, can be found on the Africa in Motion Facebook and Twitter pages.