One year after launching with an ambitious aim to become the premier industry confab for dealmakers on the African continent, the Jbx Content Market returns to Johannesburg with an expanded, three-day event that will touch on some of the key trends in the fast-growing African market.
Running parallel to the Joburg Film Festival, whose sixth edition takes place Feb. 27 – March 3, the Jbx will bring together producers, financiers, broadcasters, streaming platforms and other industry professionals to take stock of what many believe to be a pivotal moment in the African screen industries.
“Everyone says Africa is the future. Are we ready for this content demand that the world is looking for?” says Joburg Film Festival executive director Timothy Mangwedi. “Being ready is not just about talent. It’s about talent, it’s about infrastructure, it’s about technology. And it’s also about funding.”
The pressing question of how to pay...
Running parallel to the Joburg Film Festival, whose sixth edition takes place Feb. 27 – March 3, the Jbx will bring together producers, financiers, broadcasters, streaming platforms and other industry professionals to take stock of what many believe to be a pivotal moment in the African screen industries.
“Everyone says Africa is the future. Are we ready for this content demand that the world is looking for?” says Joburg Film Festival executive director Timothy Mangwedi. “Being ready is not just about talent. It’s about talent, it’s about infrastructure, it’s about technology. And it’s also about funding.”
The pressing question of how to pay...
- 2/26/2024
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Following on the heels of a successful post-pandemic reboot one year ago, the Joburg Film Festival kicks off its sixth edition on Feb. 27, with the glitzy capital of South Africa’s media and entertainment industry showcasing a selection of top talents from the host country and across the African continent.
The event opens with the world premiere of Gordon Main’s apartheid-era documentary “London Recruits,” a film that sheds light on a pivotal moment in the South African liberation struggle, and wraps March 3 with the premiere of “Snake,” a psychological thriller from veteran filmmaker Meg Rickards.
After returning to Johannesburg cinemas last year for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, this year’s edition looks to grow the event’s footprint, increasing the number of festival venues as well as the amount of films on offer, with a program that includes more than 60 titles from 30-plus countries.
The event opens with the world premiere of Gordon Main’s apartheid-era documentary “London Recruits,” a film that sheds light on a pivotal moment in the South African liberation struggle, and wraps March 3 with the premiere of “Snake,” a psychological thriller from veteran filmmaker Meg Rickards.
After returning to Johannesburg cinemas last year for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, this year’s edition looks to grow the event’s footprint, increasing the number of festival venues as well as the amount of films on offer, with a program that includes more than 60 titles from 30-plus countries.
- 2/26/2024
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The X Games has some extreme news to share ahead of the kickoff to the winter event this week in Aspen: host Selema Masekela has been named the brand’s first “chief of sports culture.”
The three-year deal, signed under new X Games owner Msp Sports Capital, will see Masekela return as a member of the X Games on-air team, while also adding creative advisor, producer and mentor duties to his purview.
As X Games chief of sports culture, Masekela will “help guide the cultural vision for the sport and lifestyle elements of the X Games brand, mentor up-and-coming talent, provide counsel on topics of athlete growth through production” and serve as the public face of the X Games brand.
Masekela began his career as an intern at TransWorld. His first position with the X Games was as a snowboard sideline reporter in 1999. He went on to host the X...
The three-year deal, signed under new X Games owner Msp Sports Capital, will see Masekela return as a member of the X Games on-air team, while also adding creative advisor, producer and mentor duties to his purview.
As X Games chief of sports culture, Masekela will “help guide the cultural vision for the sport and lifestyle elements of the X Games brand, mentor up-and-coming talent, provide counsel on topics of athlete growth through production” and serve as the public face of the X Games brand.
Masekela began his career as an intern at TransWorld. His first position with the X Games was as a snowboard sideline reporter in 1999. He went on to host the X...
- 1/24/2024
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
by Cláudio Alves
Though a likely Best Visual Effects nominee, The Creator is ineligible in the Best Picture race.
While we're still recovering from last night's Golden Globes, the Academy has released its final eligibility lists pertaining to most categories outside the music, shorts, and specialized feature ones. Overall, 321 films will vie for Hollywood's little golden men. However, only 266 can compete for the Best Picture honor, a first in Oscar history. Such productions as Godland, Mami Wata, The Creator, The Marvels, and the new Ant-Man movie are out of the running. This year marks the start of Raise - Academy Representation and Inclusion Standards – to whom films must submit a confidential form to guarantee Best Picture eligibility…...
Though a likely Best Visual Effects nominee, The Creator is ineligible in the Best Picture race.
While we're still recovering from last night's Golden Globes, the Academy has released its final eligibility lists pertaining to most categories outside the music, shorts, and specialized feature ones. Overall, 321 films will vie for Hollywood's little golden men. However, only 266 can compete for the Best Picture honor, a first in Oscar history. Such productions as Godland, Mami Wata, The Creator, The Marvels, and the new Ant-Man movie are out of the running. This year marks the start of Raise - Academy Representation and Inclusion Standards – to whom films must submit a confidential form to guarantee Best Picture eligibility…...
- 1/9/2024
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
Shot in dense, high-contrast black and white, writer-director C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s “Mami Wata,” unspools like a mysterious dream. It’s both inscrutable and hypnotic, delivering indelible images while remaining narratively opaque. Billed as a “West African folklore,” its story could be taken as a straightforward fable about tradition vs. modernity and how power corrupts. But as its plot unravels, confounding layers surface beneath that easy explanation. “Mami Wata,” a Sundance discovery selected to be Nigeria’ official Oscar submission, keeps the audience entranced if never truly engaged.
Taking its cues from the legend of the female water spirit revered in that part of the world, Obasi’s story centers on Mama Efe (Rita Edochie), a medium and healer who claims to hold the keys to the all-powerful Mami Wata. The inhabitants of the isolated oceanside village shower Mama Efe with crops and gifts in an effort to win over the water deity.
Taking its cues from the legend of the female water spirit revered in that part of the world, Obasi’s story centers on Mama Efe (Rita Edochie), a medium and healer who claims to hold the keys to the all-powerful Mami Wata. The inhabitants of the isolated oceanside village shower Mama Efe with crops and gifts in an effort to win over the water deity.
- 12/8/2023
- by Murtada Elfadl
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Hollywood management and production company The Gotham Group has launched a new international division and appointed long-time manager and producer Justin Littman as its head.
The appointment see Littman join The Gotham Group partners roster alongside Peter McHugh, Julie Kane-Ritsch, Lindsay Williams, Jeremy Bell, Eric Robinson, Lee Stollman, Rich Green, and Matt Shichtman.
“We’re thrilled to have Justin leading The Gotham’s Group’s surging international client roster,” said The Gotham Group Founder and CEO Ellen Goldsmith-Vein.
“This initiative underscores our ability and intention to expand the boundaries of our business, to tap into the creative minds of artists around the globe to create entertainment for audiences everywhere,” said Goldsmith-Vein.
Littman said the time was ripe for such a move.
“International voices are driving a huge part of the conversation in film and TV,” he said. “The Gotham Group is excited to launch a dedicated department to focus on these artists,...
The appointment see Littman join The Gotham Group partners roster alongside Peter McHugh, Julie Kane-Ritsch, Lindsay Williams, Jeremy Bell, Eric Robinson, Lee Stollman, Rich Green, and Matt Shichtman.
“We’re thrilled to have Justin leading The Gotham’s Group’s surging international client roster,” said The Gotham Group Founder and CEO Ellen Goldsmith-Vein.
“This initiative underscores our ability and intention to expand the boundaries of our business, to tap into the creative minds of artists around the globe to create entertainment for audiences everywhere,” said Goldsmith-Vein.
Littman said the time was ripe for such a move.
“International voices are driving a huge part of the conversation in film and TV,” he said. “The Gotham Group is excited to launch a dedicated department to focus on these artists,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Emerald Fennell’s ‘Saltburn’, Sony horror ‘Thanksgiving’ and Todd Haynes’ ‘May December’ also out this week.
Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes is going to battle at the UK and Ireland box office this weekend in 658 locations.
It is the widest opening for the franchise so far, ahead of previous instalment Mockingjay - Part 2 which opened in 576 sites. That title debuted on £11.3m but failed to beat the franchise record currently held by Mockingjay – Part 1, which opened in 2014 on £12.7m from 565 locations.
The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes is once again directed by Francis Lawrence,...
Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes is going to battle at the UK and Ireland box office this weekend in 658 locations.
It is the widest opening for the franchise so far, ahead of previous instalment Mockingjay - Part 2 which opened in 576 sites. That title debuted on £11.3m but failed to beat the franchise record currently held by Mockingjay – Part 1, which opened in 2014 on £12.7m from 565 locations.
The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes is once again directed by Francis Lawrence,...
- 11/17/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Oscar voters in the Best International Feature Film category have received their group assignments for this year’s initial round of voting, with 89 films included on the seven lists that the Academy has sent to members.
The lists, which were obtained by TheWrap, include presumed favorites “The Zone of Interest” (United Kingdom), “The Taste of Things” (France), “The Promised Land” (Denmark) and “Perfect Days” (Japan), along with a number of documentaries, among them Estonia’s “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood,” Brazil’s “Pictures of Ghosts” and Ukraine’s “20 Days in Mariupol.”
The 89 films are four short of the record of 93 qualifying films in the category. The list of group assignments does not make up the Academy’s official list of eligible films; it’s possible that assigned films might still fail to qualify before first-round voting begins on Dec. 18. For the most part, though, films that are included in the group...
The lists, which were obtained by TheWrap, include presumed favorites “The Zone of Interest” (United Kingdom), “The Taste of Things” (France), “The Promised Land” (Denmark) and “Perfect Days” (Japan), along with a number of documentaries, among them Estonia’s “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood,” Brazil’s “Pictures of Ghosts” and Ukraine’s “20 Days in Mariupol.”
The 89 films are four short of the record of 93 qualifying films in the category. The list of group assignments does not make up the Academy’s official list of eligible films; it’s possible that assigned films might still fail to qualify before first-round voting begins on Dec. 18. For the most part, though, films that are included in the group...
- 10/31/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
One of the most visually ravishing movies I saw at Sundance Film Festival early this year was C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s Mami Wata, “A West Afrikan Folklore,” as our exclusive debut of the alternate poster notes. The black-and-white Nigerian feature brings a folk-futurist style to the tale of a battle between opportunistic militants promising technological progress and a matriarchal spiritual order living in fragile harmony with the ocean. Picked up by Dekanalog for a theatrical release beginning on September 29 at Bam in NYC and Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center, the film will expand in the weeks to follow.
Here’s the official synopsis: “In the oceanside village of Iyi, the revered Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) acts as an intermediary between the people and the all-powerful water deity Mami Wata. But when a young boy is lost to a virus, Efe’s devoted daughter Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) and skeptical...
Here’s the official synopsis: “In the oceanside village of Iyi, the revered Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) acts as an intermediary between the people and the all-powerful water deity Mami Wata. But when a young boy is lost to a virus, Efe’s devoted daughter Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) and skeptical...
- 9/6/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
A folkloric African water deity is the titular focus of Mami Wata, the Sundance-premiering film from writer-director C.J. “Fiery” Obasi. The revered Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) serves as the conduit between the inhabitants of the seaside village of Iyi and the sacred water spirit, but a brewing period of civil unrest threatens to throw the entire village into extended tumult. When a young boy dies of a virus, neither human nor spirit can intervene to stop more bloodshed. Cinematographer Lílis Soares discusses the influences and approaches she utilized while shooting the sumptuous black and white film. See all responses to […]
The post “A Story That Plays With the Senses”: Dp Lílis Soares on Mami Wata first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “A Story That Plays With the Senses”: Dp Lílis Soares on Mami Wata first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/2/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
A folkloric African water deity is the titular focus of Mami Wata, the Sundance-premiering film from writer-director C.J. “Fiery” Obasi. The revered Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) serves as the conduit between the inhabitants of the seaside village of Iyi and the sacred water spirit, but a brewing period of civil unrest threatens to throw the entire village into extended tumult. When a young boy dies of a virus, neither human nor spirit can intervene to stop more bloodshed. Cinematographer Lílis Soares discusses the influences and approaches she utilized while shooting the sumptuous black and white film. See all responses to […]
The post “A Story That Plays With the Senses”: Dp Lílis Soares on Mami Wata first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “A Story That Plays With the Senses”: Dp Lílis Soares on Mami Wata first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/2/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
The seaside village of Iyi is the setting for C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s mythical Mami Wata, which chronicles the fraught relationship between an all-powerful African water deity and the villagers who are currently embroiled in a period of unrest. The widely respected Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) acts as the intermediary between the titular water goddess Mami Wata and the villagers, but the death of a young boy further provokes the villagers toward an act of violence that no entity can control. Editor Nathan Delannoy discusses the process of cutting the gorgeous black and white film, including how he followed his gut […]
The post “This Is Filmmaking as an Artistic and Cultural Necessity”: Editor Nathan Delannoy on Mami Wata first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “This Is Filmmaking as an Artistic and Cultural Necessity”: Editor Nathan Delannoy on Mami Wata first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/2/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The seaside village of Iyi is the setting for C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s mythical Mami Wata, which chronicles the fraught relationship between an all-powerful African water deity and the villagers who are currently embroiled in a period of unrest. The widely respected Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) acts as the intermediary between the titular water goddess Mami Wata and the villagers, but the death of a young boy further provokes the villagers toward an act of violence that no entity can control. Editor Nathan Delannoy discusses the process of cutting the gorgeous black and white film, including how he followed his gut […]
The post “This Is Filmmaking as an Artistic and Cultural Necessity”: Editor Nathan Delannoy on Mami Wata first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “This Is Filmmaking as an Artistic and Cultural Necessity”: Editor Nathan Delannoy on Mami Wata first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/2/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival, the festival’s first in-person competition since 2020, has revealed its award winners.
The big winners included Maryam Keshavarz‘s The Persian Version, which earned both the Audience Award and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, and A.V. Rockwell‘s A Thousand and One, which took home the Grand Jury Prize in the same category.
The Persian Version explores an Iranian-American family’s past as its patriarch gets a heart transplant while A Thousand and One centers around a mother who kidnaps her son from the foster care system in order to find a path toward redemption.
Other winners include Festival Favorite Radical directed by Christopher Zalla and Grand Jury Prize winner for U.S. Documentary, Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.
The festival has highlighted 101 different features and 64 shorts. These films were selected from a total of 15,856 submissions. Most of...
The big winners included Maryam Keshavarz‘s The Persian Version, which earned both the Audience Award and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, and A.V. Rockwell‘s A Thousand and One, which took home the Grand Jury Prize in the same category.
The Persian Version explores an Iranian-American family’s past as its patriarch gets a heart transplant while A Thousand and One centers around a mother who kidnaps her son from the foster care system in order to find a path toward redemption.
Other winners include Festival Favorite Radical directed by Christopher Zalla and Grand Jury Prize winner for U.S. Documentary, Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.
The festival has highlighted 101 different features and 64 shorts. These films were selected from a total of 15,856 submissions. Most of...
- 1/28/2023
- by Alex Nguyen
- Uinterview
Seven years before its Jan. 23 world premiere in Park City — the first-time that a homegrown Nigerian feature has scored a coveted slot in the World Cinema Dramatic competition at Sundance — C.J. Obasi’s “Mami Wata” began with a vision.
The director was sitting on a West African beach, in between projects and contemplating his next move. Suddenly, an apparition came to him: A mermaid standing on the ocean’s shore, beckoning to a mysterious young woman behind him.
“It was really vivid,” Obasi says. “It was in black and white. In the vision, the goddess’ eyes are red, but also very soft. There was a kindness to her eyes. When I came to, I said, Ok, so my next movie is ‘Mami Wata.’”
What followed was a personal and professional journey to understand that moment on the beach, and to breathe life into a movie about the titular mermaid-deity of West African folklore.
The director was sitting on a West African beach, in between projects and contemplating his next move. Suddenly, an apparition came to him: A mermaid standing on the ocean’s shore, beckoning to a mysterious young woman behind him.
“It was really vivid,” Obasi says. “It was in black and white. In the vision, the goddess’ eyes are red, but also very soft. There was a kindness to her eyes. When I came to, I said, Ok, so my next movie is ‘Mami Wata.’”
What followed was a personal and professional journey to understand that moment on the beach, and to breathe life into a movie about the titular mermaid-deity of West African folklore.
- 1/24/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
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