The Future is Africa

Presented by Christoph Schingensiefs Operndorf Afrika

The Future Is Africa is a children's and youth film festival with artistic contributions from the African continent and the African Diaspora which first took place in Berlin in 2021. Taking inspiration from the Kids’ film festival KIFIFE in Burkina Faso, founded in 2019 and organized by Opera Village Africa, the thematic focus of the festivals is films about historical as well as current political and social realities that connect children and young people from Europe with those growing up on the African continent. In its second edition, the film festival in Berlin aims to draw attention to female perspectives in African Cinema – both through the selection of films by young African filmmakers and in terms of content with the examination of diverse female realities in film. The multifaceted film program engages with current international discourses on the relevance of education and seeks to present children as agents of change.

In addition, two panel discussions with filmmakers from the African continent and representatives of migrant-diasporic perspectives will expand the program thematically, addressing gender inequality in the (not only) African film industry and critically question the representation of women in film.

June Givanni is a Guyanese-born London-based pioneering international film curator with over 30 years’ experience in film and broadcasting. Her work is principally concerned with the distribution and exhibition of African and African diasporic cinemas. She is the founder and director of the June Givanni Pan African Cinema Archive in London. Since 2021 she is the curator of The Future is Africa film festival for children and youth in Berlin.