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The State of African Cinema | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thousands of film lovers have been squeezing into the football stadium in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, at the FESPACO (Festival Panafricain du Cinéma et de la Télévision de Ouagadougou) festival this week. Some call it the African Oscars and a theme emerging at the 20th edition of this biennial African film festival is the relationship of African countries to the West, and the stories of people who decide to leave their home countries.
But behind the scenes African film-makers are struggling to make money because widespread DVD piracy is cutting into the market and most people people can't afford to pay out for a cinema ticket. Many cinema houses are closing. Hicham Ayouch is a Morrocan film-maker who mourns the loss of the big screen cinemas but believes it's unavoidable. But what do African audiences think? Ogova Ondega is a film critic in Nairobi. The World Today asked if he though African film was in crisis? First broadcast 1st March 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Piracy is a problem. But you have to be pragmatic. I'm a dreamer, I'm a romantic but my feet are on the ground. 
James Copnall.
Global News Podcast