The Berlinale Talent Campus together with the Federal Foreign Office will launch a new initiative. “FOCUS AFRICA“ will take an in-depth look at contemporary filmmaking in Africa. Numerous young African filmmakers will be invited to Berlin, among them Nigerian actress Kate Henshaw-Nuttall, a top star in Lagos who can hardly escape the demands of her mainly female fan base. Alongside her German colleague Maria Schrader, amongst others, she will talk about the influence of romance movies on the ‘real’ relationships in their respective cultural contexts during a session entitled “Love International”. Ghanaian-born John Akomfrah, considered one of the most world-renown documentary filmmakers today, is also one of this year’s Campus guests, just like Abderrahmane Ahmed Salem from Mauritania. This multifaceted artist is currently travelling with his video caravan through the Sahara to find unusual places to screen his selection of films, often starring himself, and has sparked an unexpected revival for short films in his homeland.
From street to screen: The influence of hip-hop on the film world
The worldwide success of hip hop over the last two decades has had a big influence on pop culture, and thereby on filmmaking. “From Street Cred to Screen Credibility - Hip Hop and the Movies “ is a session, followed by a lounge discussion, during which hip hop artists from different countries introduce both their styles and their take on commercialism, revolutions, fashion and culture clashes. Among the invited guests are Donald Mugisha from Uganda, whose film Divizionz will be presented as part of the Forum of the Berlinale, Kevin Fitzgerald, founder of the Los Angeles Hip Hop Film Festival, and Senegalese filmmaker Fatoumata Kandé Senghor, whose hip hop movies recently caused a stir in Dakar.
Volkswagen Score Competition with Oscar® winner Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain)
Hardly any other filmic medium can influence the audience’s emotions like music. Which is why the Score Competition, presented for the 6th successful year by Volkswagen and the Berlinale Talent Campus, is especially well-integrated to this year’s Campus theme “Screening Emotions“. Young composers and sound designers are invited as part of the competition to compose new soundtracks for pre-selected film excerpts. In February, three composers selected by a jury will be given the unique opportunity to have their arrangements recorded by the Babelsberg Film Orchestra and mixed at the Film & Television Academy (HFF) ‘Konrad Wolf’. The Talents will have the Argentine musician and two-time Oscar® winner (Brokeback Mountain, Babel) Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla at their side as a mentor and member of the jury for the competition. The new compositions will be premiered on Thursday, Feb 14th, the last day of the Berlinale Talent Campus, the award ceremony of the Volkswagen Score Competition will be presented during the "Closing Ceremony" in HAU 1.