2020 Yarha Festival Core Unveiled

Efforts to boost African cinema and that of Cameroon in particular are multiplying following the progress made by the Yarha film festival in the sector.  The 7th edition of the film festival was officially launched in Yaounde October 15, 2020. Expected to run from November 15 to 22, the deliberations during the fiesta will take place under the main theme: "Cinema, at the service of sustainable development in Africa ".

As for the innovations of this year's event, the delegate general of the festival, Sylvie Nwet stated that it will lay emphasis on the role played by cinema in local development and the important part played by women in the cinema industry. In general, she says, the 2020 edition will promote African and international cinematographic works via projections, contribute concretely in the proper practice of professions related to cinema via training workshops, amongst others.

Mindful of the health context under which the event is taking place, the promoter explains that live streaming will be prioritised on social media. She equally underlines that those who will make it physically to the event, will have to respect the barrier measures put in place by government and the World Health Organisation (WHO) such as wearing of facemask, washing of hands and social distancing.

Activities such as projections, colloquiums, seminar for women in cinema, master class, amongst several others are on agenda. As for the colloquiums, the coordinator of the scientific pole, Mireille Manga says the colloquiums will be divided in two phases: "Round tables and panels." She explains that the sessions will bring together stakeholders from different walks of life to discuss and reflect on how to put cinema at the frontline of development. Talking on the selection criteria of films to take part in the film competition, the director of programmes, Elvis Tanwie said it was based on the theme, story, picture, sound and most especially, it had to do with the first film of the movie director. He equally assures those whose films were not selected that their films were not bad. "It was just a tight competition," he states. The selected movies will be competing in categories such as documentary film, short film, long film and panoramas-cinema.