Franco-Djiboutian cinema expert talks Rwanda’s progress, unveils project to promote African film industry

Souad Houssein, a specialist in the cinemas of Francophone African countries was recently in Rwanda on an invitation by the Urusaro International Women's Film Festival where she was a member of the jury for African short films. During the event, she presented the Pan-African Audiovisual and Cinema Observatory (OPAC) project as a tool that is expected to provide reliable and sourced information, enabling a better insight into production and market expansion in Africa. The observatory, according to Houssein, will also serve as a tool to facilitate decision-making in order to provide a better understanding, especially, of the evolution, trends, production, distribution and broadcasting activities of the cinematographic and audiovisual industries in African countries. She is developing the project after campaigning for a Pan-African Film and Audiovisual Fund in 2011, thus continuing its fight for appropriation and control of African film production. Houssein has a nearly 25-year career with the International Organization of the Francophone (OIF) and has led and coordinated projects for the development and promotion of cinemas in Africa. Tackling the cinema industry in Rwanda, Houssein said it is relatively recent but at the same time very dynamic. “Like several African countries, Rwanda is firmly committed to the promotion of its cultural and creative industries which is becoming an engine of development and cultural inclusion,” she explained. “The country’s strategy is ambitious and seems to target both local development but also international influence and is focused on the economic objectives oriented towards the development of Rwanda tourism, which as we know has great potential.” Houssein also noted that Rwanda intends to promote and attract the shooting of foreign films with the objective ‘Rwanda land of cinema’ for the benefits they are likely to generate in terms of economy, influence, and transfer of skills. Moreover, she continued, Rwanda presents all characteristics of a country that is determined to strengthen the cinema development system by having set up several festivals including Mashariki Film festival, Urusaro International Women's Festival and the Rwanda Film Festival. She added that recently Rwanda created a support fund. Rwanda Film Office, and hosted major film events such as the 7th edition of the Francophone Cinema Trophies in 2021 and will soon host the DISCOP from November 29 to December 1. Houssein also noted that multitudes of Rwandan talents present an obvious asset as evidenced by the awards obtained by different filmmakers like Joseph Bitamba, Joel Karekezi, and Director Kantarama Gahiri as well as Annette Uwizeye. “These professionals, to name a few,” said Houssein. “Have forged an international career and contributed to the cinematographic and audio-visual influence of Rwanda. All this demonstrates the interest of the cinema and audiovisual industry in the eyes of Rwanda and the will to put in place a solid and professional multifaceted policy.” Houssein asserted that of course, a large training program can only help safeguard the results and effects of the aforementioned actions, adding that training actors in the audio-visual and cinema sectors remains a necessary and essential lever towards their sustainable development. How OPAC can benefit Rwandan and African cinema at large According to Houssein, for a country like Rwanda which has campaigned for a reform of the African Union and feels concerned by the progress of the African continent, contributing to the establishment of an observatory is therefore promoting African cultures through a tool that boosts private and public investment. “The implementation of a monitoring and information tool is necessary to help ensure increasingly higher quality production values; to encourage countries to develop favourable public policies and to invite both public and private investors, local as well as foreign, to support these sectors,” she said. She concluded: “At a time of industrialization and internationalisation of African cinema, having reliable economic data capable of encouraging private and public structures to invest in this sector is a necessity and the creation of a Pan-African Observatory Audiovisual and Cinema can only contribute to accelerating the progress of this industry, which is rich in job opportunities, creative potential, international influence and promotion of African cultures.”

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Franco-Djiboutian cinema expert talks Rwanda’s progress, unveils project to promote African film industry