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FFF 2007
picture credit: by Jon - Cafesociety.org
Welcome to the Freetown Film Festival (FFF)
The Globe Cinema, 30 Syke Street, Freetown
This year is the inaugural event of what promises to be an important annual event in the calendar of culture-loving Sierra Leoneans and Sierra Leone film fans around the world! Read on...
News Blog
19th March 2007The Freetown Film Festival (16th-18th March) was an outstanding success with over 4,000 people watching over 20 'Sierra Leone' films over the course of the three-day Festival. Truly it was a ground-breaking venture which many did not believe would succeed. (A previous attempt by others to show a few films in 1998 had failed, being I believe, in the middle of the Civil-War and also a little ahead of its time s far as local Sierra Leonean tastes were concerned.)
The Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Prof.Septimus Kaikai, who was invited to open the event, had a double booking, but kindly sent his representative who stood in for the Minister, and made some excellent remarks about the future importance of filmmaking and developing professional relationships with the Ministry. Our thanks to the Ministry.
The Filmmakers' discussions went well (although would-be film actors far outnumbered the filmmakers...), and there were some strong and valuable contributions from those filmmakers that did attend.
The films went down extremely well. Apart from the Hollywood feature films that opened (Amistad, about the famous ship-board slave revolt led by the Sierra Leonean, Sengbe Pieh), and closed (Blood Diamonds, loosely based on experiences during Sierra Leone's recent war and starring Leonard DiCaprio) the Festival, all the films were made in Sierra Leone, by Sierra Leone and, (apart from one exception - Taxi.) kindly shown, at our invitation, by our friends in Hull, Jon Robson and Cafe Society. A full review of the Festival will be made available in due course, but in the meantime, the Festival wishes to thank everyone (you know who you are) for all the help and effort and energy you provided to make the Festival happen - and with such resounding success! Well Done.
The next Film Festival may well include an Awards Ceremony, so look out for announcements towards the end of 2008!
A personal note:
Whist the Festival was a professional success for everyone involved, but also a personal disaster for the Festival Director, Ian Noah. He had his personal bag stolen on the last night, and lost his mobile phone, address book (incl. important contacts), 35mm Olympus camera (incl. shots of the festival), SD Memory Card (incl. Festival documents, graphics and personal info), Multi-Card Reader (for the aforementioned), house keys, and a significant amount of cash (to pay for fuel and other expenses.) Needless to say he feels bitter and betrayed by the fact that it was a member of the audience - invited for free at the organisers' expense - that stole his belongings. Sierra Leoneans really need to raise their standards of conduct...
22nd February
Plans are being drawn up to decorate the Cinema in preparation for the Freetown Film Festival . If you are a filmmaker and would like to volunteer some help with a paintbrush and general cleaning, please phone: 077 422711 or 077 568824, or contact the Globe Cinema.
16th February
The date and venue for the Film Festival have now been confirmed to the organisers by the Globe Cinema. Details are: 16th, 17th, 18th March at the Globe Cinem,a, 30 Syke Street, Freetown. Be there!
14th February
Filmmakers! If you have a film to submit, or would like to find out more about the Freetown Film Festival , then come along to a meeting to be held:
Date: Tuesday 27th February
Time: 3pm
Venue: Globe Cinema, 30 Syke Street, Freetown
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, Jul 27 2007, 11:24 AM EDT
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